Bon Voyage
by wyndhill
Summary: They should have known Magnus couldn't just take a vacation… Cautiously rated T for suggestions of adult themes and mildly graphic medical descriptions.
1. Bon Voyage

This story is stand-alone, but immediately follows "Remembering Molly," and uses the original character from that story in some parts. I've added a bit of recap, so if you haven't read the first story, you should still be able to read this one.

As is implied by 'fanfiction', the characters and settings from Sanctuary are not mine, although I appreciate being able to borrow them. The story is set roughly in mid-season three. The original characters, settings, and storylines, however, are my own, and I appreciate constructive criticism. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Ahh!" Will's exclamation was accompanied by the thwacking sound of his head striking the underside of the overhead luggage compartment as he stood up.<p>

"I could have flown us down, you know." Magnus looked at him with a bit of reproach. "I haven't flown economy since… goodness knows how long. I think they were still providing white tablecloth meal service…"

Still rubbing the back of his head as he took the seat by the window, Will replied, "This is supposed to be a vacation, you know. If we'd taken the Sanctuary plane, chances are you'd have diverted us to investigate some exciting new abnormal fungus, or some such, by now… and it's really hard to argue with the pilot." He paused. "Beside, the other Heads take you for granted. If you're not completely inaccessible, there's no way you'll be able to relax!"

"You may have a point there…" Magnus paused to awkwardly shove her briefcase under the seat in front of her. "It has been a long time since I've had a real vacation."

There was some fumbling with the seat belt ends, "I think you're sitting on mine. Thanks. Oh, sorry about that. Oops, didn't mean to elbow you there…" until finally they were both firmed strapped in.

"I really think you could have splurged for business class, though." Magnus said.

"Hey, you asked me to take over the finances, and I have. Maybe if you had agreed to travel by yourself, we could have afforded it!"

"You all need a vacation as much as I do," Magnus replied, "It only seemed fair."

Will smiled a bit. "We really should have sent Henry and Kate to a different resort though, don't you think?" They were sitting a few rows in front of the pair, who, by the sounds of it, were already bickering about something or other.

"You do have a point… maybe it's not too late," she joked. "Perhaps somewhere in the vicinity of Devil's Island?"

Will's reply was cut off by the stewardess' cheery voice coming over the intercom, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! This is a non-stop flight to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. If Santo Domingo isn't your destination, now would be a good time to say something. Please turn your attention to…"

* * *

><p>Magnus might have been joking on the plane, but several hours out from Santo Domingo, stuck with the three others plus a honeymooning couple in a moderately under air-conditioned van, she was just about ready to kick them all out. The road heading west was as she would have expected; narrow, winding, and barely two-way, it was crowded with overloaded vehicles, produce trucks, and mopeds. Her patience for the road conditions was long, however the combination of the fawning couple and the bickering 'children' in the back was too much.<p>

At least she had been accorded a little respect, securing the front passenger seat with little difficulty. Rank hath its perks. She spoke to the driver, "Roberto, would it be possible to stop at one of the fruit stands?" They had passed many along the roadside after exiting the city, with locals selling bananas, plantains, mangos, and other locally grown produce. "I could use a little air."

"And a little quiet, I am guessing, doctor." He gave her a knowing smile. "I know just the place, it is not far."

They pulled off the road next to a small produce stand with a young boy, perhaps 10 years old, sitting next to it. "We are making a brief stop," Roberto announced to his passengers. "Please feel free to get out for a few minutes, but don't wander far."

Henry reached over to smack Will on the shoulder. "Hey Will, wake up!"

"Uuh?" Will started, and then straightened up in his seat, looking sleepily around.

"Pit stop. Get out if you want." Will closed his eyes, and for all intents and purposes, appeared asleep. "Suit yourself."

"Hello, Jose," Roberto spoke to the boy. As an aside to Magnus, "I know his father, so he'll overcharge you, but not too badly."

Magnus smiled. "Acceptable terms." She bartered and paid for a bag of mangos while the others stretched their legs a bit. The newlyweds asked Roberto about a washroom, and were slightly put off by his delicate suggestion of the best place for that kind of business. "I can wait," the woman declared.

Wandering back to the van, Magnus handed Henry and Kate a couple of mangos, with her own perhaps not so delicate suggestion regarding indoor voices in the vehicle. The rest of the trip was thankfully relatively serene. At last, they turned off the main highway onto a small dirt road leading steeply upwards to their final destination.

As they climbed out of the vehicle, the view was breathtaking – a wide open panorama from the hilltop across the surrounding jungle to where it met the Caribbean Sea. Magnus felt the residual tension from travelling leave her as she looked out to the water. The air was even a little cooler due to the altitude, although still warm and humid.

Walking into the hotel, the staff were professional and considerate. "Welcome, Dr. Magnus. If there is anything we can to help make your stay with us more pleasant, please do not hesitate to ask."

* * *

><p>Back at the Sanctuary, the newest and the oldest staff members, left to themselves, were getting to know each other over a rather unusual activity…<p>

"Paranormal Activity?" Molly was looking skeptical. "_You_ watch Paranormal Activity? Do you really believe in this stuff?" Then, with a side glance at the Big Guy, "Wait, don't answer that. I don't really want to know."

It had been only a few days since Molly had accepted the offer of a job at the Sanctuary. Her nursing experience hadn't exactly prepared her for the job, but since being attacked by an abnormal, there was no going back to her normal life. She'd been given a small suite in the mansion, complete with a bedroom, combined office and sitting room, and a washroom. Apparently most staff lived at the Sanctuary, but she wasn't quite prepared to give up her apartment so soon. Not that she'd been there often in recent times, except to pick up the mail and water the plants.

The rest of the team was off for a much needed vacation. Such a public outing would have been difficult for the Big Guy to take, so he was the obvious candidate to run things while they were away. As for Molly, Magnus had vetoed her accompanying them. "I'm well aware that you could also use a vacation, she had said, "however given your recent illness, I think it would be prudent that you avoid travel for a little while longer, particularly to a less developed country." She did suggest that the time would be best spent slowly acclimating to the Sanctuary routine, and starting her studies on abnormalities in general. Which meant tagging along with the Big Guy on his rounds, and reading a large pile of tomes that were, at this moment, obscuring Molly's new desk.

Acclimating apparently also meant watching strange and freaky films… as if reality wasn't weird enough.

* * *

><p>In the Dominican, the weather was fine. After a quick room change (to one that did not share a wall with the newlyweds), Magnus found the locale all together refreshing. She developed a routine over the first few days. She would rise early and relax with tea on her balcony overlooking the sea, then join her later-rising companions for a breakfast of crepes and fruit. After breakfast she relaxed poolside with a book for a little while, then struck out, sometimes with one or more of the others, to explore the trails in the surrounding hillside. She particularly enjoyed swimming through waterfalls in the nearby river, and walking along the pristine beaches. She socialized with the locals in town, trying a variety of the fresh seafood and produce, prior to hiking back to the hotel to enjoy a refreshing dessert and drinks at sunset. The hotel offered an array of personal pampering as well, and she indulged in an open-air manicure, pedicure, and marvelously relaxing massage. She couldn't help but admit that her team had been right, she needed this.<p>

The next morning, following her customary tea, Magnus breakfasted with Will and Henry. While Kate had decided to sleep in, prior to a day of pampering herself poolside, the other three decided to spend the day hiking an ambitious route that led them further into the _Sierra de Baoruco_, the small nearby mountain range.

Armed with hiking boots and packs of water and sandwiches, they set out.

"This is amazing," Henry said, stopping yet again on a high point in the trail to admire the view. There was a light haze touching the treetops in the distant valleys, and the sun reflected brightly on the rivers in amongst the vegetation.

"It certainly is." Magnus stopped next to him and reached around to pull a bottle of water from her pack.

They enjoyed the natural sights and sounds, until they were interrupted by small rocks being disturbed by heavy footsteps, and some slightly winded breathing.

"I thought you were in better shape than this, Will." Magnus greeted him as he crested the trail.

"Me. Too." Will replied, wiping his drenched forehead on his sleeve before gratefully accepting the proffered water and taking a long swig. "Ah. Guess I've been more of a desk jockey lately."

"That's what happens when you get behind in paperwork… but let's not think about that." She checked her watch. "The map shows a waterfall not too much further along, might be a good place to eat. We should be able to make it that far before needing to head back." She looked at Will. "You up for it?"

"No problem," he said, huffing back into his pack.

Magnus and Henry exchanged a small smile before falling into line to continue up the trail.

* * *

><p>The hike was certainly worth it. Quiet, isolated, and lush, the area around the waterfall was an ideal setting for a picnic. The group hungrily tore into their sandwiches, as the sound of the waterfall muted the surrounding environs. After eating, Henry opted for a nap in the shade, while Magnus and Will decided swimming was the next order of business. They swam in a large pool at the base of the waterfall, luxuriating in the cool, pristine waters.<p>

Magnus dove deep into the clear water, opening her eyes as she stroked down towards the bottom. Small brightly-coloured fish swam by – _agonostomus monticola_, _cyprinodon bondi_, a juvenile _cichla ocellaris_… her subconscious cataloguing paused as she observed a flash of blue from the bottom. With no air left to investigate, she popped back up to the surface, inhaling after breaking the water.

"Thought you were going to stay down there forever," she heard Will say from nearby as she wiped water from her face.

"I think I've found something interesting," she replied, treading water.

"Oh?"

"Be right back," Magnus gave him a quirky smile before taking a deep breath and diving back under. Heading directly down, she found the bottom and her quarry, grabbing a handful, then widening her fingers to remove the loose sediment. She held it in both hands and kicked back to the surface.

Will swam over to meet her. "Whatcha got there?"

Blinking to clear the water from her eyes, Magnus opened her hands to reveal several small, brilliant blue stones.

"Wow."

"Amazing, aren't they?" She rinsed the remaining dirt away from the stones.

"The blue is just… wow." Will reached out and took one from her hands.

"It's larimar – a pectolite found only in the Dominican. Shouldn't be too surprised I suppose, the largest mine is barely twenty kilometers from here," Magnus replied.

"They're so smooth," Will rubbed the stone between his fingers. "The river must act as a natural tumbler, polishing it as it moves downstream."

Magnus smiled at Will's obvious infatuation with the stone. "Certainly. You can have that one if you like, I've got a couple others."

He took his eyes away from the larimar. "That's okay," he said, handing back the stone. "I think I can manage the energy for a dive of my own."

"Suit yourself, I'm going to go have a nap myself." She swam back to shore as Will made a rather ungraceful dive, complete with a large splash as he kicked his feet at the surface of the water.

Having dried off and sprawled next to Henry, Magnus drifted off to sleep to the sound of the waterfall.

A short while later, she awoke abruptly and sat up, not sure what had caused her to wake. Henry was still snoring softly next to her. She looked towards the waterfall and saw Will in the distance, sitting on the far side with his back to her.

Walking towards the pool, she called, "Will?"

When he didn't look up, she called again, "Will!" but the waterfall covered her words. Something about his posture made her feel that something was not right. She stripped off her outer layers and dove back into the pool, swimming directly across towards him. As she pulled herself out of the water, he finally noticed and slowly turned towards her, blood across his bare chest.


	2. A Discovery

"Will!" Magnus exclaimed, alarmed by the blood across his chest. He was sitting, dripping wet, on some rocks next to the pool in his swim trunks, looking at something on a shelf just above him. He seemed startled by her sudden appearance, however surprisingly did not appear to be in any particular distress, despite the blood. Where was it coming from?

As she moved to search him for injuries, he said, "It's alright, really. It's only my hand." He held his arm out to show her the wound, and said, a bit embarrassed, "It got all over."

"This is a nasty laceration, Will," Magnus said, as she inspected a deep gash on the fleshy part of his right thumb. "You're sure this is the only injury?" She looked him over skeptically, "Did you fall from the rocks?" It was quite a height.

"No, nothing like that," he reassured her. " I was checking the outcropping for more stones; I put my hand up, and it came back like this. You've got to see what I've found, Magnus," He said, gesturing as excitedly as he could with one of his hands restrained in hers. "It's a nest! Or was a nest, anyway."

Her attention finally diverted, he showed Magnus his finding. It was a number of large, broken eggshells. "What kind of big birds do they have around here anyway?"

"Nothing this big…" Magnus trailed off as she inspected the eggshells. "These have been hatched for a while… a week, at least. See how brittle they are?" She snapped a piece off the shell in her hand. "Why don't you go get cleaned up while I look around a little bit?"

"Good idea." Will was apparently tired enough not to argue.

"Ah – but keep that hand out of the water. Who knows what else is swimming around in there!" Magnus called after him, as he began to scramble down the rocks.

"Yes, mom," he said without looking back.

Magnus rolled her eyes as she continued her inspection of the nest and its surrounds. And there, in the dried mud, she saw it. The imprint of a sneaker tread, narrow, likely belonging to a woman of smallish stature. It had to be old; it might be humid, but it hadn't rained since before they'd arrived in Dominica. And then the wind picked up, and she caught a whiff of a foul odor on the breeze. That smell could only mean one thing – decaying meat.

She stood up, brushing off her hands, and headed upwind towards the tree line by the rocks. Back under the bushes, she found the source of the smell. The body was decaying, and it was difficult not to gag as she moved the leaves aside to inspect it. She was quickly relieved to note that the body was not human, and then puzzled as she attempted to reconstruct an image of the creature in her mind.

It would have been nearly a meter in length, feathered, with a relatively large skull (although it was badly fractured), serrated teeth, and forward-facing eyes… more and more curious… large hands with three long, clawed fingers, the middle of which was particularly exaggerated, and quill knobs on the ulna…

Realization dawned as the pieces finally fell into place. She carefully replaced the leaves and debris, and walked back to the base of the waterfall.

Magnus joined Will back on the other side of the pool, and wrung out her hair. He was toweling himself off awkwardly with one hand as Henry appeared, stretching and yawning.

"Had a nice swim?" Henry asked, then didn't wait for an answer as he saw Will's hand. "What happened to you?" He took a step backwards, blood was really not his thing.

"It appears we have a bit of a mystery on our hands," Magnus answered.

"The mystery of how I cut my hand on a rather large eggshell?" Will asked, a bit confused, "Did you find something else over there?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Magnus replied, picking up her towel. "The tread mark of a ladies' sneaker by the nest, and the body of what I believe to be an abnormal known as _rahonavis ostromi_."

"Seriously?" Henry asked, incredulous. "I couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour…"

"Closer to two, actually," Magnus replied, "but that's beside the point."

"_Rahonavis_?" Will was still confused. "As in, a feathered dinosaur?"

"Very good, William, I'm impressed."

"Umm… aren't they extinct?"

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to believe everything that you hear?" She teased. "Like the pteronodon you saw in London, there are rumors that other species believed extinct have survived to this day and age… although what a _rahonavis_ is doing in the Dominican, I don't know. The only remains ever found were in Madagascar."

"So you're surprised that it's here, not that it's real?" Will shook his head. "Unbelievable."

Magnus ignored his comment. "It is essential that we retrieve the remains for further study. We should be able to wrap it adequately with the picnic cloth and use one of the backpacks. And bring those sandwich bags, too, the body is rather decomposed and I didn't pack any gloves."

"Greeeat." Henry was less than thrilled.

"And you," Magnus turned to Will, "sit over here. I think I have a clean handkerchief we can wrap your hand in."

* * *

><p>At the Sanctuary, yawning as she climbed into the van, fondly referred to as Vanessa, Molly had no idea what she was getting into. The Big Guy had awoken her with the word that <em>Limax odontodomae <em>were reported to be terrorizing a local neighborhood. She had slightly more of an idea after pulling up the Sanctuary entry on the genus _Limax_ on her tablet. It appeared to be a type of slug. How bad could a few slugs be, really? And then she keep reading… the name of their species, _odontodomae_, literally meant 'toothy'. She had a baaad feeling about this.

Turned out she was right. The next four and a half hours were spent attempting to capture the elusive (and disgusting) slugs. Unfortunately, they were scarily large and fully capable of crawling both up walls and across ceilings. They were also, true to their name, armed with an array of small, pointy teeth. At the end of it all, six slugs were apprehended through the combined use of stunners and nets. The Big Guy zapped them off the walls using a stunner, and she caught them in a net. The process, however, also had the regrettable effect of splattering her with slime every time a slug hit the net. She was covered from head to toe by the time they had captured the sixth.

They were more than ready to pack the last slug into the van and head back, when she had the accidental misfortune to discover a malingerer. Having slipped on some residual slime, she had a great view of it hiding underneath a pallet from where she lay on the floor a mere handbreadth away. And that was all it took; the slug sunk its prickly little rows of teeth into her index finger and refused to let go. She was not amused when the Big Guy pointed out that it had been the easiest catch of the day. The bite stung, as did her pride.

So, having arrived at the side door of the Sanctuary with their cargo of seven slugs, she felt like she deserved a moment's peace, resting her head back and closing her eyes as the Big Guy turned off the engine. A whack on her shoulder suggested otherwise. The next hour was spent unloading and transferring their abnormally large and toothy friends into a habitat. As the door closed, Molly got a look at herself in the reflection of the clear panel. "Oh, my god," she exclaimed, capturing the Big Guy's attention, "I'm a ghostbuster." He laughed heartily before taking her to wash up in the infirmary shower. Having rinsed off her entire self and left the soiled clothes in the 'hazardous' laundry pile, she changed into some spare scrubs.

Relieved to be finally making her way back up to the main level to catch a few more hours of sleep, she began to feel quite strange. The walls, once covered in simple hardwood paneling, now appeared to be brightly luminescent. The decorative paintings and vases stood out in her vision with crisp, clear definition. It was like walking through a 3-D movie… she giggled. As if life wasn't 3-D… it was the funniest thought she'd ever had. Then she got to the edge of the carpet. The geometric pattern lashed out at her like one of the giant slug-nets. It made her dizzy. So dizzy she feel to her knees and vomited what little she had in her stomach.

At some point, she felt large hands take her shoulders. She would have screamed if she hadn't been so otherwise occupied. When she was finally able to stop heaving, she sat up and the Big Guy got a good look at her face. His eyes went a little wide, and he let slip, "Uh, oh." As he helped her stand up, she tried to convince him that she was okay, he didn't need to worry. It was just that the mansion had gone a little weird. She didn't catch most of what he said back, but one thing registered – hallucinogenic slime? Couldn't be. She had been covered in the stuff, and she was just fine. Then she giggled again. Fine, slime, fine slime… it rhymed!

* * *

><p>It was late afternoon by the time Magnus, Henry, and Will worked their way back across the river, picking a careful path over the rocks to avoid another soaking and protect their specimen.<p>

"Sometimes I hate this job," Henry muttered to himself.

"There's one thing I still don't understand," Will was saying to Magnus. "The damage to the skull… I would have said it was caused by a rough, blunt object. There's nothing I know in nature that causes that."

"Except for bipeds, such as humans, of course." Magnus replied, clearly letting Will work it out for himself.

"Exactly." His brow wrinkled a bit. "But if someone was hunting it, they wouldn't have left the body, and they would have come prepared with something better than a rock."

"Your conclusion?"

"It was self-defense." He seemed almost surprised. "So is the timing coincidental? With the hatching of the eggs?" When Magnus didn't reply, he thought for a few more minutes. "Most avian species have a brooding tendency, incubate and protect the eggs, so it seems likely that the mother… it _was_ the mother?" He directed the question at Magnus.

"Definitely female," Magnus replied over her shoulder as she continued down the path.

"So someone approaches the nest. The mother, feeling her eggs are threatened, attacks. The intruder grabs a rock to use as a weapon. The mother is fatally injured and retreats into the woods… and then the eggs hatch," Will concluded.

"That matches my assessment." Magnus finally chimed in.

"Glad to hear it," Will said, as he caught up to her on the trail. "So my question is, could the hatchlings survive on their own in the woods? Or… were they taken?"

"That really is the crux of the matter." Magnus cocked her head to one side. "I'm inclined to believe the hatchlings were taken by the intruder. There was no evidence that they had foraged in the woods surrounding the nest, and no bodies."

"So who has them?"

"The million dollar question. Care to theorize?" Magnus asked, without taking her eyes off the trail.

"Another test?"

"Not the word I would have used. But yes, I think you could use some practice, if you're up for it."

Will sighed, "No rest for the weary…" He cleared his throat. "So, we have the print of a woman's sneaker at the nest. Smallish, so she is perhaps a bit below average stature. The sneaker could belong to a local or to a tourist. However, I think it's more likely a tourist; there are no villages nearby, and the trail seems to be frequented by primarily tourists. If I had to guess, I would say she went for a hike, and, as we did, stopped for a rest at the waterfall." He paused to take a breath.

"I also think we're probably dealing with an individual rather than a group," he continued. "The skull fractures were primarily on the right side only, suggesting one, right-handed, individual. Perhaps a lone female would also be more likely save the young, rather than abandon them… although it doesn't rule out the possibility of others who weren't present at the time of the attack... hmm. Does that about sum it up?"

"I would say so."

"Perhaps we're in luck then." Will perked up a bit as he considered the possibilities. "There's only one good tourist spot in town, and we happen to be staying there. And we haven't seen that many single travelers."

"Exactly. I plan to have a bit of a chat with Roberto when we get back, and hopefully it won't take us long to get to the bottom of this."

"Easy peazy… oophf!" Will was cut off as he stubbed his toe on a rock.

"Hmm. I suggest less talking, more walking."

"Thanks a lot."

"Are you guys coming, or what?" Henry called back from ahead.

"On our way!"

* * *

><p>It was dusk by the time they returned, dirty and tired, to the hotel. Magnus sent Will and Henry to wash up, while she sweet-talked Roberto into providing a safe, cool and contained space for their new specimen. After it was safely locked away, she and he leaned on a balcony overlooking the sea, beers in hand, as the sun set in magnificent colors across the sky. The cold beer was a well-earned reward for the day's work, and Magnus took some time to enjoy it.<p>

Roberto was good company – pleasant, witty, and generous with his time, but never pushy. He was also just the person to ask about their mystery woman, as he seemed to make friends with everyone (although Magnus liked to think he spent a little bit more time with her than others).

"Roberto," she began, after several minutes of silent companionship, "I'm looking for someone. A woman, probably 5'1" to 5'4", likely travelling alone. She would have been here about a week back." They didn't make eye contact. Both continued to stare into the sunset.

"As soon as I think you couldn't get more mysterious, you say something like this." Roberto took a swig of his beer. "What did she do, this woman?"

"She didn't do anything, but I believe she may be in some kind of trouble."

"Do you know how much you are asking?" Roberto said, after a long pause. "Privacy is very important."

"So is a woman's life." Magnus replied. "I promise you, no harm will come to her as a result of what you tell me." Still without looking at him, she palmed some cash into her hand and held it out.

"Dr. Magnus," Roberto feigned offense, "I cannot accept a bribe."

"It's not a bribe. Merely an acknowledgement that life is difficult, and you're a family man," she parried. "Why don't I buy you a beer?"

The money had disappeared into Roberto's pocket. "You already have."


	3. The Search

After the hike back, Will retreated to his room to wash up. He showered, eager to rinse off the day's grime, even though it was difficult to avoid wetting his injured right hand. Once dry, he wrapped himself in the folds of a fluffy white robe to wait for Magnus, who without a doubt would be stopping by shortly. He must have dozed off, because he awoke to a knock at the door. It was dark in the room, the sun having gone down as he slept. He flicked on a lamp as he made his way over and unbolted the door.

Sure enough, Magnus was there, bag in hand. He had figured she'd come prepared on this trip, particularly given how heavy her luggage had been. She got right to business, rinsing his hand over the sink with a bag of saline before arranging him on one of the armchairs to suture the laceration. He looked away as she injected the anesthetic. He'd had enough stitches to know he didn't really want to look.

He cleared his throat, "So, what did you find out from Roberto?"

"Well, let's see," she replied a little distractedly. "He likes rum, brunettes, and a good mystery..."

It wasn't really the answer Will had been expecting, but he did catch something of an undertone, which finally registered. "You like him! … You like him? Doesn't he have kids?" he asked, incredulous.

"Certainly," Magnus replied matter-of-factly, "not married though, if it's any of your business."

Will realized he might have caused some offense. "Never mind, you've certainly the right to have a good time, same as anyone else."

"Exactly, and I did learn some more pertinent information." Magnus continued as she worked, "I think I know who our woman is."

Marie-France was a young woman in her early twenties who had checked into the hotel a fortnight ago. She had a reservation for eight days and was travelling alone, however was social with many of the other young visitors. She had arranged day trips to a number of local tourist places and natural wonders, so Roberto hadn't had a lot of interaction with her around the hotel.

However, the first strange behaviour that Roberto had noticed occurred near the end of her first week. A large number of room service orders were placed in the span of only a day or so – far, far more than a single person could consume. Ordinarily he would have assumed that she was ordering for multiple people, however he reported seeing only her at the room. She also never order the same thing twice, which was highly unusual, and once she had sample the entire menu, she stopped ordering.

Several days later, she made a call to the front desk asking to extend her stay at the hotel. This was unusual, but not unheard of. As they had a room available, so they willingly booked her for an additional five days. At about the same time, the cleaning staff also reported that they had been unable to access her room – the 'do not disturb' sign was posted, and polite inquiries determined that she did not wish them to enter. As concierge, Roberto called the room to make certain their guest was all right. She answered and reported no problems, so he did not pursue the matter.

The day before her checkout date, Marie-France once again called the front desk to extend her stay, however was refused, as there were no rooms available. Finally, yesterday, the day she was due to checkout, she did not appear at the front desk. Roberto went to the room, and after knocking and entering, found it deserted. She had left the hotel without paying her bill, which, the hotel discovered, far exceeded the limit on the credit card they had on file. They had reported her to the local authorities, who Roberto believed would surely apprehend her as she attempted to leave the country.

There was one more bit of gossip, which Roberto had shared with Magnus in a whisper at the end of their conversation. The room had been a disaster. The bed sheets were torn to shreds, and there were numerous flecks of dried blood on the bed, carpet, and towels. Rum in hand, he confided his belief that she was probably a real sicko. He was sure no one else had been in the room, so her injuries must have been self-inflicted.

"That will do it," Magnus said, as she separated the last suture from her needle.

Will looked down to see a pretty little line of seven stitches running along the side of his raw thumb. "Thanks." He was still thinking about the information she had just related.

"So, what are your thoughts, Will?" Magnus asked, as she cleaned up her supplies.

"You never stop, do you?" Will was just a little bit irritated. It had been a long day… he sighed. So much for a vacation. "A couple of things stand out to me. We're talking about pretty radical behaviour change… I think it's safe to assume that Marie-France has the hatchings. I don't think she would have extended her visit if she was staying in her room simply due to fear after being attacked by the creature. I also think she would have told someone if that were the case."

He got up to get a glass of water, and offered one to Magnus, who accepted. Sipping, he sat back in the chair and continued his musings. "So she takes them back to her hotel room, but doesn't have anything to feed them. So she orders room service, but can't find anything they'll eat, so she keeps ordering different things. But the one point I'm stuck on, is that she runs through the entire menu, and then stops ordering. Did she find something they would eat? And if so, why didn't she order more of it?"

Magnus chipped in, "She must have found something to feed them, although it is unclear exactly what." She thought a bit more. "They're probably carnivorous, I would guess, given the mother's teeth. However, it's possible they're omnivorous. She may also have snuck out of the hotel unnoticed to pick things up, although we have no evidence of that."

"What about the blood in the room?" Will asked. "Do you think she was injured in the original attack?"

"Certainly a possibility," Magnus replied. "The hatchlings also have a mean middle toe, it's possible that they could have injured her unintentionally."

"And that brings us to our final, and most important piece, where is she now?" Will asked.

"I have a couple of theories on that score," Magnus replied. "I managed to secure a list of places that she visited on her day trips, so we can start with those. Also…" she was cut off by the ringing of her cell phone. "One moment please, Will, it's the Big Guy." She got up to take advantage of the better reception by the window.

"You have impeccable timing, my old friend." There was a long pause, then Will could only pick up on fragments of the conversation. "Dilated pupils, hallucinations… really, a _Limax odontodomae_? Oh, well that explains it… precautions… something you can do for me…. yes… sending you the photo now."

After a few minutes, Magnus hung up.

"Everything all right on the home front?" Will asked, as Magnus sat back down.

"Molly had a run in with some hallucinogenic slug slime, but she'll be fine." Magnus said, rather nonchalantly. "The Big Guy will also be actively tracing any information on our fugitive. We've got her passport photo and number, so if she ends up in anyone's system, we'll know. So here's the plan…"

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, as the sun rose over the trees, the four set out from the hotel. They were each weighed down with a full backpack. Magnus wasn't sure what they were going to find, or even how long they would be looking, so they had packed accordingly. All had a change of clothes, and Magnus carried the remaining medical supplies and sat phone. Will, Henry, and Kate carried food, water, and their cell phones with two-way radio capability. Kate was looking particularly antsy. Since they hadn't been able to bring firearms into the country, she was feeling especially vulnerable. She had had to settle for a few knives stashed in key places for this hunt.<p>

They spent most of the morning checking the town, talking to the locals and other tourists to determine if anyone had seen Marie-France recently. Having no luck, they moved on to some local attractions, including a jungle walk and zip-lining facility, any place she might have made friends or noticed a place to hide out. It just didn't feel right to Magnus. All of the locations were too public, too exposed. And far as she could tell, Marie-France hadn't socialized much outside of the other travelers she had met at the hotel. Where would she go, with little or no money, and any number of baby abnormals?

She pulled the list of day trips from her pocket, and unfolded it to consider them with a more careful eye. After a moment, one name jumped out at her, _Bahia de las Aguilas_ (Eagles Bay). That was it! The location itself was fairly remote, and the local town, _La Cueva_, was named for the myriad of natural caves surrounding the village. They would be a perfect hiding place for someone trying to remain unnoticed.

* * *

><p>When Molly finally woke up, it was to a pounding headache. And that wasn't all, she realized as she ran to the washroom and dry heaved. At least the walls weren't glowing anymore, she thought as she leaned her head back against the wall. She relaxed, finding the cool tile soothing on her warm neck and arms. A little while later she was roused from a light doze, hearing the Big Guy calling her name. She swallowed to clear her throat, and called hoarsely, "In here!" It barely came out, but he must have heard.<p>

He entered and crouched down next to her on the washroom floor, reaching out to brush her face gently with his furry hand. "How are you?" He asked gruffly.

"I've been better," she croaked, her throat feeling raw and sore. "At least the world isn't psychedelic anymore," she said with a wry grin.

"Good… now drink this." The Big Guy held out a steaming mug. "It will help with the nausea."

Molly reached out to take it, but then the smell reached her. She gagged, which unfortunately turned into more dry heaves. When they had subsided, she turned her head, still bent over the toilet bowl, towards the Big Guy. "I thought you said that was supposed to _help_ with nausea!"

"It is… drink it fast." He brought the mug up again.

"Umm…" Molly was really not keen on the idea. "I can think of a few other things to stop vomiting, none of which smell like that!"

"Arh, arh," the Big Guy gruffed, taking some offense. "This is an ancient way, very effective, will be good after the slug slime." When she continued to stare at the mug, without replying, he added, "Magnus left you in my care, and I _will_ care for you."

He didn't really leave much (or any) room for negotiation. She thought about making a break for it, but she probably couldn't even stand up right now… sigh. It wasn't like her traditionalist mother hadn't prepared her for a lifetime of homeopathy. "Give it here…" she said, resigned, holding out one hand for the mug and pinching her nose closed with the other.

She knocked it back in three big swallows. "Ugh!" She couldn't help but exclaim when the mug was finally empty. Her stomach rumbled a little and she took a few slow, deep breaths to settle it. Surprisingly, she also felt the nausea and headache begin to recede. "That's some powerful stuff," she said, impressed.

The Big Guy huffed in acknowledgement. He gave her a hand up off the floor, before whacking her on the back of the head. "Trust me next time."

* * *

><p>In the Dominican, the four piled into a taxi for the drive south. Fortunately for Magnus, the other three were tired enough not to bicker at each other too much. They all munched on some sandwiches on the way, and had a quick nap. Nearing <em>La Cueva<em>, Magnus asked the driver to leave them on the outskirts of town. It was closer to access to the caves, and also less conspicuous.

They walked in a line along the side of the road. It was bordered by dense underbrush, and the afternoon sun beat down on them. They soon reached a rough trail leading off in the direction of the caves, and took it. Will was third in line, after Magnus and Henry. The sweat was dripping down his forehead, stinging his eyes even as he attempted to wipe it away. After yesterday's exercise, and what little sleep he had managed to get the night before, he was exhausted. Trust a vacation to turn into hard work.

"Keep moving, Will," Kate spoke from just behind him, practically breathing down his neck. He hadn't realized he'd gotten so far behind Henry. His muscles complained as he started walking faster to catch up. And as he finally reached Henry and Magnus, he saw they were also at their destination. The water of the bay was close by, on their right. To their left, hidden somewhat in the vegetation, were a number of rock outcroppings.

"This is it," Magnus said, checks flushed from the hike and wiping her face with her sleeve. "Let's be systematic. There are a number of small caves, and I don't want to miss any. Henry and I will start with the outcropping furthest up the hill," she gestured towards the highest point on the trail, "and Kate and Will, you both take the group closer to the water. Keep it quiet," she added, "if she's here, we don't want to scare her away!"

Will followed Kate down to the first series of rocks. The water was lapping quietly nearby, and they navigated through lush greenery. "All in all," Will thought to himself, "not a bad place to hide out." They soon found the first cave entrance. Kate gestured that she was going first, but it hardly mattered. The cave was barely large enough for both of them. The second and third caves were similar, but the fourth was quite bit more expansive, with branches leading off in several directions, and a number of separate chambers that needed to be searched. It took the two of them nearly forty minutes to check the cave, marking their trail on the wall and shining their flashlights into the corners.

At least it was cool inside, although Will could have done without the extra humidity. As it turned out, however, the rising humidity was not just inside the cave. When they emerged from the entrance, the sky had grown overcast, and the wind picked up. The rustling of the wind in the bushes obscured even the sound of the water.

Will turned to tell Kate that he was going to radio Magnus so they could hunker down together, in light of the coming rain. However, at that moment, Kate's fist shot into the air. He froze, but he didn't see anything through the swaying trees. After a moment, she gestured for him to come to her side and whispered hoarsely, "I saw her!"


	4. Found

Sorry for the long delay on this chapter… been doing too much overtime to be very creative, but much better now and going on vacation soon myself!

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><p>Kate's fist came down, and she gestured for Will to come to her side. "I saw a woman, brown hair… I'm almost certain it was her. There's a crack in the rock face over there," she gestured to a dark line in the rock he never would have noticed. "She ducked back pretty quickly, I think she may have seen us. We should move carefully."<p>

Will quickly pulled out his radio and called in their finding to Magnus. The others hadn't found anything, and reported they were on their way to meet them. Kate nodded at him, and they started their way cautiously to the crack leading into the cave. He watched as Kate took a deep breath, then entered. Following behind, it took him a long moment to adjust to the lower light, but it was immediately obvious that someone was living in the cave. There were broad leaves piled along one wall as bedding, and a ring of stones in the center of the room, with evidence of a fire.

And then, there was the young woman at the far side of the low, long cavern. She was bent over and struggling with something, with her back to Kate and Will. Slight and pale, her long, brown hair lay loose and tangled across her back. She quickly became aware of their presence, and looked over her shoulder in fear.

Will called out to her, "It's okay, we're here to help."

But she continued her frantic efforts, focused on something hidden in front of her, before glancing back one more time and then running.

"Shit," Kate cursed, as she moved to follow, "there must be another exit!"

They moved as fast as they were able, but it was awkward going. They ran, half crouched, across the dark cave. Will managed not only to trip on the fire ring, but also to hit his head on a jut in the low ceiling. This was not his week. Upon reaching the other side, they were forced to move sideways through the narrow passageway. Fortunately it opened up into an exit not too far in… unfortunately, a crack of thunder heralded the opening of the heavens. Large drops of rain poured down from the sky, drenching them in a wave of sound as the drops struck the broad leaves all around them. In an instant, Kate and Will were soaked, and visibility was near zero.

"Well, shit!" Kate was pissed, and continued to mumble a string of curses as the water ran down her face.

Will gestured to the overhang behind him, and they both crouched to duck under it. He grimaced, swiping the excess water off his glasses with a finger, which only served to make Kate's angry face more visible. He pulled the radio out of his pocket, about to call the others, when it emitted a burst of static, then, "Will, come in please." It was Magnus, barely audible under the sound of the storm.

"We're here." He called back, "But she just ran from us, we lost her."

"I know. We saw her, stay where you are. Maintain radio silence."

"10-4, Will out." He sat back under the ledge with a sigh. Glancing at Kate, he did have one positive thought. At least he wasn't the most miserable person under this ledge.

* * *

><p>Magnus, and moreover, Henry, were on the trail, close behind the woman they believed to be Marie-France. They had been close to the lower caves when they witnessed something crashing through the bushes, and Henry caught the scent. Unfortunately, the sudden squall was hampering Henry's sense of smell, although he felt they were closing in. Even as the rain poured down, he led them through a small gully.<p>

They came upon the woman there, looking for handholds at the base of a small rock cliff. Her back was to them, her thin clothes were soaked and plastered tightly to her small frame. She wore a long sleeve light blue shirt and khaki pants, now dark with rain and splattered with mud. Her vest, dark blue, contained several suspicious lumps. Magnus warily considered the possibility that she might even be armed. An animal, even a human animal, was most dangerous when cornered.

"Marie-France!" She called to the woman, stepping out of the trees towards her. She was forced to yell to be heard over the rain. The woman turned, alarmed. Even under the dark hair covering her face and neck, Magnus could tell that she was pale, even gaunt. Something was clearly wrong.

"Do not be alarmed," Magnus continued, taking a few small steps forward, with her hands outstretched. "We want to help you."

"Leave me alone!" She called desperately as she tried to back away further, but was stopped by the rock face.

Magnus called back to her, moving as close as she dared, "We want to help you!"

"Why? Why should I trust you_?_" She demanded defiantly, almost angrily.

"We know what you found, we can help you care for them…" Magnus replied, cautiously. Marie-France seemed to be considering, so Magnus continued, "I know that's all you really want, is for them to be safe."

"Then why did you try and take them from me?" Marie-France was clearly angry.

Magnus was genuinely surprised, and let it show. "We've only been aware of you since last night." At her expression of disbelief, Magnus continued, "I swear to you, we discovered the nest on a hike yesterday, and realized somebody might be in some trouble – turns out, that somebody is you."

Marie-France seemed to be softening up a bit, although she remained suspicious. "Do you know… you know what they are?"

"I have a good idea. You see… I'm a biologist of sorts, and a doctor." Magnus took a more relaxed pose, and paused a moment to move a few stray damp hairs out of her eyes. Her floppy hat was fortunately shielding her face from the worst of the rain, but the rest of her was still soaked. "It's my life's work to protect unusual creatures, like your little friends." Magnus took a chance, and gestured towards Marie-France's vest. Perhaps the conspicuous bulges were something more than simple supplies.

Sure enough, Marie-France's hands came to her chest in a defensive gesture.

Magnus saw her chance, "I promise you, no harm will come to them, or to you. But it's your choice. If you don't want our help, we'll leave, and never bother you again. But it seems to me that you could use some help, and we're offering it, with no strings attached."

Marie-France stood in the pouring rain, soaked to the bone, and shivering. She seemed to stare right through Magnus, considering. Then, a small movement and a cheep came from within her vest. Attention shifted, she brought her hand to cuddle the small lump, and stroke it with her thumb. As she looked down at it, lovingly, she made up her mind.

She raised her head, and stated resolutely, "I will go with you."

Magnus stepped forward and reached out gently to touch Marie-France's shoulder. "You won't regret this."

"Now," she continued, "What would you say to getting out of this rain? You have a cave nearby, correct?"

Marie-France hesitated, "The other two are with you?" After Magnus reassured her, she led the way back into the woods, passing close to Henry. She gave him a suspicious glare as the hatchings clinging to the inside of her vest moved restlessly. He was not to be trusted, but she had no choice for the moment. She needed help, badly.

* * *

><p>At the Sanctuary, Molly had had another tough day. Yesterday (forever emblazoned in her memory as the Day of Slime) had been physically tough. Today, she was doing mental calisthenics.<p>

The Big Guy had decided that she needed to get more involved in the day to day affairs of the Sanctuary; to learn the ins and out of, well, it appeared to be everything. After a long day of memorizing maps of the facility, emergency codes and procedures, and evacuation routes, Molly was ready to call it quits for the evening.

The Big Guy, however, had other ideas. Sticking his head into her office just as she was closing the files, he gruffed, "I have a project for you."

He pulled up a chair next to hers, and showed her how to access a whole host of resources she was sure couldn't be legal – live satellite images, identification databases, credit reports, transportation logs… the list went on.

"Are we seriously allowed to be seeing this stuff?" she asked incredulously.

"Magnus has her ways," the Big Guy replied, "It's not for you to worry about."

"Well, that's not cryptic at all," she replied sarcastically, earning a whack on the head from the Big Guy before he went on to explain what he wanted her to do. They were looking for information for Magnus on a woman vacationing in the Dominican.

"Aren't _they_ on vacation?" Molly mentally shook her head. These people were nuts.

A little more sure of the system, Molly was able to locate a surprising (and creepy) amount of information in a very short period of time. She located a Quebec drivers license and Medicare card, home address and telephone number, and credit card with a $2000 limit.

She was rather pleased with herself until the Big Guy came in to check her work. "You missed the student loan documents," he said as he pulled up the relevant site and files to show her.

At first Molly was just curious about the new documents, but then it clicked… "Hey! How would you know about that, unless you had done the search already?"

The Big Guy at least seemed impressed that she had caught on. "Needed that info last night… but you weren't in any condition for a lesson."

Molly sighed and flopped back in her chair. "I'm tired, I'm hungry… no more lessons tonight, okay?"

She thought he almost smiled. "Grubb's on in five."

* * *

><p>Marie-France led the way back to her cave, entering through the crack in the rock face. She almost ran upon seeing Will and Kate, sitting by a crackling fire. "It's all right!" Magnus stopped her from turning back, while at the same time indicating that Kate and Will should resume their seats, as they had half risen in surprise at the others' entrance. As they settled back, the other three entered, shivering as they felt a bit of heat from the fire.<p>

Magnus provided a bit of a belated introduction, "Marie-France, this is Henry, Will, and Kate," she said gesturing to each in turn. "I'm Dr. Magnus." She looked at all of them, soaked and dripping on the floor.

"I think a change of clothes is the first order of business. Do you have any extras?" she asked Marie-France, who denied it.

"There wasn't time."

"I think between Kate and I we should have some things that will fit you." They went through their bags, fortunately waterproof, pulling out clothes and a couple of travel towels. They took turns toweling dry and changing in the back of the small cave, then sitting by the small fire. Luckily, Marie-France had brought in a number of branches earlier in the day, which had remained mostly dry during the storm. It wasn't much, but it was nice to have a little warmth.

Magnus had noticed Marie-France was hanging back, hugging her precious vest. She decided to give her space until the rest had changed clothes. It was clear she had been through a lot; it would take a gentle touch to truly gain her trust. But finally, there was no avoiding it. Magnus walked, hunched over as was required by the height of the ceiling, to where Marie-France was huddled. She was in a corner close to the fire, but leaving space between herself and the others.

Magnus crouched down in front of her. "I've brought you some things…" She was a little taken back by the open fear on Marie-France's face. "It's all right, remember? I promised to help." She took a small, cold hand in her own, "It will be okay. Okay?"

Marie-France seemed to relax a bit, resigned to trust, perhaps only because she had no other option. "Okay."

"I think we should start by re-locating your little friends to someplace dry," Marie-France tensed, so Magnus was quick to reassure her, "They'll be right here, by your side." She patted the fuzzy blanket she had brought, "I think they'll be more comfortable here, rather than in your wet vest… do you think they'll be open to transferring?"

Marie-France finally cracked a smile, "They won't be happy about it, but they'll go."

"Great." Magnus smiled back, and watched as Marie-France unzipped her vest to reveal the precious cargo. They were little more than a small handful each. Their basic structure was almost like that of a bat, but with a long neck, and body covered in soft, downy blue-green iridescent feathers. They clung to her shirt with both the talons on their wing joints and their skinny pink legs, and squeaked pitifully as Marie-France gently disengaged them one at a time and transferred them to a nest in the blanket. However they, eleven in total, snuggled together quietly once placed in the nest.

Marie-France looked at them fondly, reaching over to caress their knobby little heads with one finger. They, in turn, looked up and followed her movements their little black eyes, and accepted her caresses by closing their eyes and humming softly. It feel like a private moment, one that was disrupted by Henry's inevitable, but understandable, "Awww."

Spell broken, Magnus asked, "Do they always respond to you this way?"

Marie-France looked up to meet her eyes, "Yes. They hatched in front of me, and from that moment, I couldn't help but love them." She paused, struggling a bit to decide what to say next. "I… I killed their mother. Not intentionally, really, but she attacked me…" She averted her gaze, not sure what reaction she was going to get.

"We know it was self-defense," Magnus replied, "You didn't have a choice, she would have killed you." She also had another sneaking suspicion she needed to confirm. "But there was more to your decision to keep the babies, wasn't there?" Marie-France looked startled. "Did they follow you when you tried to leave?"

"You're right," she shifted her shoulders where they were leaning on the cave wall. "I couldn't have left them, even if I wanted to… which I didn't anyway."

"I suspect they probably imprinted onto you." Magnus rested her hand on Marie-France's knee, reassuringly. "They wouldn't have survived if you hadn't taken them, you did the right thing." She was surprised to see moisture in Marie-France's eyes when she looked up.

Tears welling up, she whispered, "They didn't all survive… the first day, I couldn't find anything they would eat, I tried everything… The smallest one, it didn't make it." She sniffed. "I tried everything I could think of, I really did!" Her voice was thick with regret.

"I'm sure you did." Magnus replied sympathetically. "You ended up finding something then, for them to eat?"

The look that came across Marie-France's face was hard to read. It was stoic, but barely controlled. Instead of speaking, she somberly pulled up the sleeve on her arm, exposing the skin. The whole surface of her forearm was red and broken, and Magnus had to lean in for a closer look in the dim light before she realized what she was seeing. There were small puncture wounds, bites as it were, so close together it was hard to determine where one ended and another began. It had to be… she looked up at Marie-France, who nodded.

"That's right, Dr. Magnus, my blood was the only thing they would eat."


	5. New Friends

Slower than intended uploading for this story, but now I'm back from vacation and relaxed, so the remaining chapters will come much sooner... thanks for your patience!

* * *

><p>Even after all Magnus had seen in this world, she was still a bit taken back by what Marie-France had just told her. She was actually letting the <em>rahonavii<em> feed on her. But what else could she have done? Magnus ran through a quick mental list of possibilities – she knew Marie-France had ordered everything on the menu back at the hotel. That included red meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, starches... She had suspected the _rahonavii_ might be carnivorous, but hematophageous? Perhaps it was only the young? She stirred herself to deal with the task at hand. If Marie-France had had the hatchlings for more than a week, her condition might be even more serious than Magnus had previously suspected.

She realized the others weren't speaking, waiting for her to respond. "How did you figure it out?" She asked, pulling a penlight from her backpack to take a closer look at the bites.

"I was bleeding a bit… their mother had clawed me." Marie-France pulled up the edge of her shirt, exposing the bottom of a laceration, which Magnus quickly followed to determine just how far it went. "But after I'd changed, I realized they were drawn to the bloody shirt. That's what gave me the idea."

Magnus found the claw laceration to run from below Marie-France's navel, all the way across her abdomen and chest, ending near her left shoulder. It was a miracle she was even alive; half an inch deeper, and it would have crossed a number of vital organs. As it was, the edges were red and ragged. It could have used a long line of stitches, but it was far too late for that. Also disturbing, were the seemingly endless bites across all her skin. Infection seemed inevitable, and with such extensive skin damage, it would be another miracle if she made it out of here without acquiring some other tropical nasties.

Well, time to get down to business. Magnus let the shirt fall back down. "Can you three give us some privacy?" She laughed a little inside when the look on their faces suggested they thought she was sending them back out into the rain. "Just the other side of cave would be fine, if you promise not to peek," she added cheekily. She turned her attention back to the young woman in front of her, as the others moved to give them a little more space.

"I'd like to start by cleaning these wounds. You're at high risk for infection, if it hasn't happened already." Marie-France nodded. "If it's alright with you, I think it would be easiest if you took off your shirt and pants. That way I can get a good look at all the affected areas, and clean them properly."

She was shivering as she undressed, probably from both cold and stress… hopefully not illness, although Magnus didn't have much faith on that score. She was rather thin, her bones standing out prominently, and everywhere that could be hidden by clothes was covered in _rahonavii_ bites. They used a bar of soap and rainwater to carefully wash the wounds, then she toweled off and changed into dry clothes. A pair of Kate's pants fit her well, as did socks and a shirt of Magnus', and a sweatshirt of Will's.

Magnus rummaged through her pack by the fire, and gestured to Marie-France to join her when she finished dressing. "Lay down over here, if you would." She had spread out a blanket next to the fire. She checked Marie-France's blood pressure laying down, and then sitting and standing up. As Magnus had suspected, she was showing signs of blood loss. "I'd like to give you some IV fluids, if that's alright. You're lost a fair amount of blood, it should make you feel a bit better."

Marie-France was too exhausted to object, flinching a bit as the needle slide into the back of her left hand. "Will?" Magnus called to the other side of the cave, "Would you come and hold this please?" She handed the bag of fluids for him to hold, as there was nowhere to suspend it from. She rustled up another blanket to cover Marie-France with, and tucked it around her. "Don't fall asleep just yet," Magnus said, and Marie-France cracked her eyes back open. "I'd like you to eat something as well," she handed her a baggie with a sandwich and an apple. Marie-France looked at it with distaste. "Try a few bites at least, you'll feel better."

Magnus watched until she took a cautious nibble, then turned her attention to the sleepy pile of hatchlings nested in a blanket. She prized one limp, adorable lump away from the rest. It was soft and warm, with downy pale green feathers and big, lidded eyes. It was sleepily shifting in her hands, snuggling its head into her fingers, its skinny toes clutching the air and then letting go. She turned it gently to examine its neck and belly, and slowly extended one wing to examine the anatomy. She caught Marie-France eyeing her suspiciously, and smiled. "It's alright. I took care of you, now it's their turn." She returned the hatchling back to the pile, and then systematically poked around the others, doing a rough check for any injuries or anomalies.

Marie-France looked concerned. "They are okay, aren't they?"

"They seem to be." Magnus replied distractedly, her eye had been caught by one of the babies, whom she singled out and lifted carefully from the pile. "This one seems a little small." She lifted up the wing, "The feathers don't seem to have come in as nicely on him either… hmm."

"What's wrong?" Marie-France looked over, worried, from her place at the fire.

"We can't know for sure, but I think with a little special attention he'll come around. We'll just make sure he's eating, and warm." She tucked him back into the nest, edging the others aside to make a small space to put him in the middle of the pile. Magnus looked back up to see Marie-France still watching her. "They're fine for the moment, eat your sandwich."

Marie-France looked guiltily back at the mostly-untouched meal, but she had a question that just couldn't wait. "They're going to be hungry again… probably in a couple of hours… what do we do then?"

Magnus sat back down by Marie-France at the fire. Kate and Henry had joined her, although Will was still acting as an IV stand. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to continue feeding them as you have." She raised her hand as Marie-France opened her mouth to object. "You eat, I'll talk." Magnus gestured pointedly to the sandwich, placated as Marie-France took a small bite.

"Thank you. I think we need to approach this a little differently. It seems likely that animal blood would suffice, and we'll probably be able to accomplish that with a little time. In the meantime, you're in no condition to lose more blood… which leaves Will and Kate." She averted her eyes a bit. "Myself and Henry are… let's just say we're not really eligible to be blood donors." She had no idea what effect their abnormal blood might have on the young, and didn't want to find out.

Kate was looking less than thrilled. "Umm… you want me to let them bite me?" Will was also anxiously awaiting the verdict.

"Goodness, no." Magnus should have realized they would jump to that conclusion. "I draw some blood using a syringe, and then we bottle feed them, essentially." She gave them a long look, "What do you say, are you up for it?"

"Fine with me," said Kate, much reassured.

"Me too," Will agreed, although not with much enthusiasm.

To their consternation, Marie-France burst into tears. Will knelt down next to her, one hand still in the air with the bag of fluids, "What's wrong?"

It was a minute before she was able to speak, between sobs. "Thank you," she gasped, "I… I don't know how to thank you."

"You just did," Will replied, his hand on her shoulder. "And it's not necessary, we're here to help. You're not alone anymore." This just made her cry even harder. Magnus scooted over to sit next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. Marie-France resisted for a moment, and then let herself relax and lean into Magnus. Eventually her crying slowed and stopped, replaced by sniffling. Magnus shifted to pull out a handkerchief and hand it to her.

"Thanks." Marie-France used it to wipe her face and blow her nose.

"Magnus," Will drew her attention to the nearly empty fluid bag.

"All right, it's about time for that to come out." She stopped the drip and took the bag from Will, who rubbed his arm and went to take a seat. She grabbed some gloves, gauze, and tape, and proceeded with the quick removal of the needle. "There you are." She caught a look at the remainder of the sandwich and half-eaten apple. "You're probably eaten enough, if you're not hungry for more." Marie-France did look relieved not to have to pick it up again. "I would like to start you on an antibiotic however, mostly precautionary. You aren't allergic to any medications?" After her denial, Magnus fetched a pill bottle and some water from her pack.

That done, she was about to suggest Marie-France get some rest, when a few pitiful chirps started up in the nest blanket.

"Uh-oh," Marie-France swallowed. Her face was looking pale in the fire light. "They're getting hungry," she grimaced.

Magnus straightened up and rested her hands on her knees. "Well, who's my first volunteer?" It was almost comical the way Kate and Will eyed each other, each wondering if the other was going to fold first. But Will never was any good at poker, and Kate was the queen.

"I'll do it," Will volunteered reluctantly. Kate's mouth quirked a little in satisfaction, before returning to the patented, 'Kate – woman of stone'.

Magnus smiled at him and patted the floor next to herself, "Come sit by me." She pulled out a syringe and alcohol swab from her pack. Will settled down uncomfortably next to her, and rolled up his sleeve. Magnus moved in with the swab to the crook of his elbow. That done, she uncapped the needle and slid it home as Will looked away. Pulling back, she filled it, and then left a bit of gauze in place as she pulled it out and re-capped the needle. "Not so bad?"

Will shrugged and took over holding the gauze to his arm. "Fine."

"Now, let's see what we can do about feeding these guys… perhaps one at a time?" she asked Marie-France, who agreed. Magnus picked out the smallest of the infants and handed him to Marie-France. It peeped, nuzzling a bit with its head. "Don't let it bite you," Magnus cautioned. She worked at carefully unscrewing the needle from the syringe and set it aside. As such, the syringe was perfect. She placed the end into the searching mouth of the _rahonavis_, which, upon tasting the blood, immediately sunk its tiny teeth into the plastic. It slowly swallowed, helped by a gentle depression of the plunger. Soon, having had its fill, it detached and appeared to go back to sleep. Marie-France gently stroked it, caressing it in between its eyes, and down across its back.

"Ready for the next one?" Magnus asked, breaking the tender moment. Marie-France nodded, and exchanged the satiated hatchling for a hungry one. It took a mere half hour to feed the remaining ten, using up almost all of the blood.

"Forgive me for saying, but you look about ready to sleep yourself." Magnus commented to Marie-France, who had practically nodded off during the last couple of feedings. "I think we should stay here for the night. I know, not the most comfortable hotel out there, but it's dry and private."

The group settled down for the night, padding the rough stone with a few blankets and using their backpacks as pillows. Wearing their long-sleeve layers was just enough to counter the mild chill in the air. The rain had slowed down to a gentle patter, which made a soothing backdrop for falling asleep.

* * *

><p>When Will next opened his eyes, there was soft light coming in through the cave entrance across the low ceiling. The fire had burned to nothing, although the smell of smoke still lingered in the air. Shifting, he realized just how sore his whole body was. Ugh, you would think he'd slept on a rock or something. Propping himself up on one elbow, he saw that the others, minus Magnus (who was <em>in abstentia<em>), were still asleep. Henry was curled up with his back to the others, and snoring softly. Kate was frowning slightly, her dark hair falling softly across her face and neck.

Marie-France was on her side facing the fire, with her hand dangling into the blanket-nest of _rahonavii_, her face relaxed in sleep. Perhaps sensing his gaze, a little green-blue head popped up with a cheep, and the dark eyes blinked at him from over the folded edge of blanket. It was cute but… hungry. Oh no, it was sooo not his turn for that. Cheep. Cheep, cheep cheep. A host of little heads popped up next to the first, all eyes on him.

Will couldn't get out of the cave fast enough. It was just that he needed to pee. Sure, that was the only reason. Sidling through the crack of a cave entrance, he emerged outside to the soft glow of sunrise. Through the trees, he could see a bright sun reflected in the waters of the bay. A pale mist still remained among the broad leaves and bushes. Pushing his way behind a couple of trees, he gratefully relieved his full bladder.

"Good morning, William," Magnus' voice came from behind him, practically causing him to jump out of his skin. Fortunately he was done, otherwise it might not have been pretty… he quickly zipped up, mentally lamenting Magnus' somewhat skewed sense of personal boundaries. "Give a man a minute, would you?" He replied, a bit grumpily.

"Sorry, I thought you were done." He had been, but still… boundaries! He sighed mentally, nothing to do but move on.

"G'morning Magnus, you're up early." He walked back towards the cave to meet her. She looked like she'd already been up for awhile, and frankly too neat and clean to believe she'd trudged through mud and rain the day before, and then slept in a cave. "How do you do it?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Do what, get up early?" Magnus gave him a bit of a puzzled look. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail, and all traces of mud had been erased from her face and hands. Her loose long sleeves were casually rolled up to just below her elbows. She looked as fresh as ever. Will, by contrast, had flecks of mud pretty much everywhere, and his clothes and hair were rumpled from sleep. The shadows under his eyes seemed a true reflection of the difficulty of the last couple of days.

"You manage to make 'tropical survivor' look fashionable." Oops, he didn't mean to say it quite like that.

Magnus smiled, "Why, thank you. A swim in the bay helps."

"You went swimming by yourself? Seriously, have you no common sense?" Will was too tired to summon outrage, but he was definitely displeased. She could have drowned by breakfast.

"I am an extremely competent swimmer, Will, I assure you." Seeing the argument about to start on his face however, she continued, "Although your point is well taken. I won't do it again."

He was surprised she had given in so easily, but couldn't really complain. "Good," he said firmly.

She decided it was time to change the subject, "Are the others awake?"

Will actually flinched a little, "Depends which 'others' you're talking about. The (mostly) human variety are still asleep, but the dozen fluffy blood-sucking dinosaur babies are hungry."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to do something about that."

* * *

><p>Breakfast for the little ones was reluctantly furnished by Kate. The rest of them snacked on water and granola bars while they decided on a course of action.<p>

"Why can't we just take a taxi back to the hotel?" Henry was asking. "I mean, Marie-France did it before with the babies in her vest, can't we do the same?"

Magnus was shaking her head. "It's too risky. If anything happened we would be completely dependent on a driver we don't even know. And we'd be split up to boot, I don't like it."

Will was thinking it through. "You don't see any problem with going back to the hotel though, do you?" Kate was also anxiously awaiting the answer to this question, dreaming of a few more days of vacation bliss in the form of massages by the pool.

"It should be fine, we'll certainly need a place to stay while we figure out transportation." Magnus took in Marie-France's uncomfortable look.

"It's alright, we know you couldn't pay when you extended your stay." Marie-France blushed in embarrassment. "We'll cover the remaining bill and make sure you get home, don't worry." The Big Guy's search on Marie-France had turned up a missed flight back to North America. If she couldn't pay the hotel, chances were she would have had trouble affording a flight… even if the babies hadn't been a factor.

"I think I'd better go back, perhaps with Henry." She felt Marie-France would be safest with Kate and Will left behind. "We'll arrange a car rental through the hotel, and be back to pick you all up sometime this afternoon."


	6. Betrayal

Magnus and Henry set out back up the trail to the road. The sky was free of clouds, and the sun had cleared the mist from the among trees. It wasn't long before they were both wiping sweat from their faces as they made their way along the rough path. The humidity made it particularly difficult to cool off, and as they reached the road, it was even hotter with the heat reflecting off the pavement. Henry was practically panting.

They worked their way several kilometers to the nearby town, relieved to be able to settle themselves on a restaurant porch in the shade. They both sipped bottled juice, and Magnus gave in to Henry's furtive looks back to the kitchen. Digging into a deliciously spicy fish fillet, Magnus decided he'd had the right idea, despite the tiny bones she was careful to avoid. Their stomachs comfortably full, they meandered sleepily in the sun until they found a taxi a few streets over. Magnus bartered the price down a bit, and then they both climbed in the backseat for the drive to the hotel.

Henry napped, his head falling back on the seat, neck extended so far back as to appear uncomfortable. Magnus tried to sleep, but was unable to do so. Something was nagging at her… she just couldn't put her finger on it. What was it? She thought hard as she stared out the window at the passing greenery.

The whole thing, while not exactly routine for vacation, was pretty day to day for the Sanctuary… the _rahanavis_, finding the girl, learning about … wait! A tickle of a thought came to Magnus. She and Henry had tracked Marie-France to the cliff… something she had said… She was asking why she should trust them, when they had tried to take the babies from her. Magnus straightened in her seat abruptly, causing the driver to look back at her in the rearview mirror. She looked away quickly, and forced herself to relax.

So someone had tried to take the infant _rahonavii_ away from Marie-France. It hadn't been them, so who? There was no Sanctuary in the Dominican, and she was unaware of anyone with a particular interest in them. Could it have been a random encounter? Some strangers who liked pretty little birds?

She didn't believe it for one second. Coincidences did happen, but she had a bad feeling about this. Her stomach was clenched with anxiety, but there was nothing to do but continue on to the hotel. She wanted to get back to the caves as soon as possible; they had to get Marie-France and the _rahonavii _to safety.

Magnus woke Henry as they pulled up to the hotel. He looked around, rubbing sleep from his eyes as she paid the driver and they disembarked.

"Oh, man," Henry yawned and stretched as they walked down the hallway toward their rooms. "I can't wait for a shower."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Henry," Magnus said softly in a serious tone. "Come to my room, and I'll fill you in."

"Wh-?" Henry stopped his question as she shook her head. "Okay." Henry was still puzzled, but knew better than to try asking again.

Magnus fumbled a bit with the key to her room, then performed a cautious entrance, prepared for anything, which just confused Henry more. Magnus checked the washroom and balcony before concluding they were alone in the room. It was clear that housekeeping had been there – the beds were made and new towels hung. She hadn't put out the privacy sign, so this was to be expected. The door closed, she finally let Henry in on her 'bad feeling.'

His reply was a characteristic, "Umm? Really? You're sure this is something?" His eyebrows raised a bit in surprise.

He took her serious face as a reply, and sighed. "And all I really wanted was a shower." He shook his head in regret.

"No time for that right now." Magnus was up and opening the cabinet containing the room's safe. Entering her combination, she opened the door and grabbed several somethings. One, she tossed to Henry. The other, she held onto as she closed the safe again.

Henry looked down at the package in his hand. Unwrapping it, he found some familiar parts. Looking up in surprise, "Why didn't you tell me you brought stunners?"

She gave him a softly smug look. "Technically I didn't." She gestured to the parts in front of him. "All you have there are a few miscellaneous electrical gadgets and batteries."

Realization dawned in Henry's eyes. She was pretty clever… "And I'm guessing that all you have are some random pieces of metal hardware?"

Magnus' eyes twinkled back at him. "It would seem that way."

"Not so legal to import weapons… not so _illegal_ to import a collection of unrecognizable parts..." Henry paused. "How come you didn't tell us about this earlier?" He asked.

"Will knew," Magnus handed over the rest of the pieces to Henry. "This one was in his pack."

Henry shook his head, "Figures."

Magnus was moving again, this time towards the door. "Take care of those, would you?" She called back to Henry, "There's something I need to take care of."

As the door shut behind her, Henry's fingers were already seeking out the pieces to start reconstructing the stunners. He muttered something about always putting back together what everyone else took apart…

* * *

><p>A short while later, Magnus returned to the room abruptly, startling Henry as he put the final touches on the pair of stunners.<p>

He knew it wasn't going to be good when the first words out of her mouth were, "We have a problem. The body of the adult _rahonavi_ is missing." She flinched, as if saying the words made their predicament more real. "And someone else is missing… Roberto."

Magnus filled Henry in. She had arranged to rent the only car available at the hotel - a battered stick-shift Renault Twingo from the 90s. Hopefully it would run… After getting the car keys, she had proceeded to a small cold storage locker in the basement, where the body of the adult _rahonavi _had been cached. There was no doubting what had happened. The lock had been cut, the pieces laying on the floor not far from the locker. There was only one person who had known she put something there… something she had thought he knew nothing about.

Magnus looked everywhere for Roberto. The staff at the front were very clearly reluctant to discuss him, and would say nothing more than that he was taking some time off. She cornered a nervous cleaning woman, who would only shake her head and say, "I can say nothing, please do not ask me this!"

Returning to her room, she knew they had to move quickly. The missing body meant Roberto had, either purposefully or under duress, betrayed them to someone who was determined to find the abnormals. And while he couldn't have known exactly where they would find Marie-France, it was a good bet they would come to the right conclusion, likely sooner rather than later. She phoned Kate and Will, with no response. It was worrying, but they had had spotty reception the whole time in the caves, so it wasn't necessarily a bad sign.

* * *

><p>Speeding down the road in the Twingo, perhaps a bit faster than was prudent, the rushing wind through the open windows was cool on Magnus' face. She glanced over at Henry, who practically had his head out the window… <em>haps<em>, she snorted to herself. As they neared the trail to the caves however, her face hardened. Hopefully it was nothing.

She hated leaving the car at the side of the road. If their unknown pursuers hadn't found them yet, the car was like a lighted arrow saying, 'we're over here'. However there was nothing else to do but take the chance, and get out of there as quickly as possible. She and Henry set off back down the path, each with a stunner in hand. It had taken them the better part of the day to return. It was late afternoon, with the sun slowly creeping down towards the horizon. The humidity was particularly intense as they descended towards the caves. Magnus was concentrating on where she put her feet, when Henry's arm stuck out in front and stopped her.

She sensed enough to say nothing while he used his senses to their full advantage, listening, sniffing… "There are men down there…" He sniffed again, "not ours."

"Tourists?" Magnus asked, without much hope.

"Nah, I'm not getting that kind of vibe." He seemed to come back to himself, "I don't know how I know, Magnus, but they are definitely not tourists."

She gave him the 'please, please become a little more self-aware' look that he remembered so well from his teenage years.

He sighed, then closed his eyes to concentrate. "They're moving quietly, spread out… not talking to each other." He paused for a few moments. "Best guess, I would say three or four men." He opened his eyes.

Magnus queried one point, "Men?"

Henry gestured to his nose smugly, "The nose knows, remember?"

"Right, right." Magnus sighed. "I guess we should get to it."

* * *

><p>They decided to split up, with Magnus taking the hill above the caves and Henry heading straight in. The plan was for Magnus to pick off as many as she could from above, and hopefully draw any attention towards herself, while Henry cleaned up below. She got into position on the low hill above the caves, using jutting rocks as cover while she surveyed the trees below. The sun was in her favor, allowing her to see below, while anyone looking up towards her would be blinded.<p>

Once in a spot with good cover and view below, she hunkered down for a few minutes to watch. Henry would wait for her before making a move. Her pause paid off as she spotted two men moving through the trees. They were locals, by the look of it – very tan and dressed casually, but packing some heat in the form of what appeared to be semi-automatic handguns.

She acted quickly, taking aim with the stunner and dropping the second man. The first, looking back to see what had happened, lost valuable time and was also taken out by Magnus' stunner. She waited a few moments to see if anyone else had noticed their falls, but there was no further movement. There were probably one or two more, hopefully Henry was on their tail. She moved out cautiously, slowly making her was towards Marie-France's cave.

* * *

><p>Henry heard Magnus' stunner taking out two men. Hearing no more, he set out to find their remaining companions. His nose told him they were definitely close. They were moving quietly, but not quite enough. It seems that he was just in time too; the men were approached the crack in the rock face leading to Marie-France's cave.<p>

"I swear I saw something over here…" He caught one whispering to the other. "Look, footprints!"

Henry sped up to intercept them before they reached the cave, arriving barely in time. He fumbled a bit with the stunner… man, why we he always so nervous? He still managed to get off a shot at the man about to enter the cave. It winged him, and he faltered but remained conscious. Henry ducked behind a tree trunk as the second man fired at him. They were definitely not using stunners! He took a second shot from around the side, but missed. He was definitely not in a good position.

A few more bullets flew by his head. However, they were interrupted by a sharp yell. Henry took a quick look. It appeared the man had been ambushed from behind by Kate. Henry watched them go down, and held off shooting as he would hit Kate along with the man. However, it soon appeared that Kate might be overpowered – she wasn't getting anywhere with her knife, having to focus most of her energy on restraining the man's firing arm.

"She is so going to kill me," Henry muttered to himself as he took aim, then squeezed the trigger. Fortunately, the shot appeared to have gotten the man in the chest while only impacting on Kate's right shoulder. They both slumped over on the ground. Henry breathed a sigh of relief as he lowered his stunner and went to check on Kate. She groaned as he rolled her off her opponent, who was thankfully decidedly unconsciously.

A surge of adrenaline went through Henry's body as a stunner blast went off directly behind him. He leapt up and whipped around, pulling up his own stunner. However, all he saw was the other man, sprawled over a rock behind him. Heart still pounding, he finally put the pieces together. Magnus was crouched on an outcrop of rock above the cave entrance, looking furious.

Henry swallowed. He was sooo going to get chewed out.

"Are there any others?" she asked quietly.

Henry shook his head. "Between the two you got earlier, and these two," he gestured around, "We got them all."

"Good." Magnus turned around to climb a few more feet down the rocks, before making a jump down to join him. Standing up and brushing her hands off on her pants, she finally turned her angry face on Henry, who couldn't help but cringe away. "What were you thinking?" She exploded at him. "You could have been killed!"

Henry started to respond, but she cut him off as she stormed past to check on Kate. "Always, always check that your opponent is out. Stunners are not perfect!" Magnus squatted next to Kate, pinching her earlobe to see if it would bring her around. She groaned a little and pulled away, but otherwise did not respond. She did the same to the local man, who didn't even manage to pull away.

While she was occupied, Henry managed a small, "I'm sorry." And he really was… it was so stupid of him.

Magnus stood up, her face unexpectedly soft. "He would have shot you at close range, Henry." Her tone was quiet and matter-of-face, rather than accusatory. Then she startled him by throwing her arms around him and pulling him close. "Please be more careful next time," she whispered in his ear.

Henry hugged back, despite feeling ashamed of himself in the face of forgiveness. "I promise," he whispered back.

Magnus broke off the hug, "Okay then." She looked around. "Where are Will and Kate?"

Henry worked his way through the cave entrance. "Hello?" he called, but there was no response.

Heading back outside, he was able to raise Will on the two-way. Will explained that when they had spotted the men approaching the cave, they decided the best course of action was for he and Marie-France to make a break for it, as Kate was armed only with a knife. She was the best choice to fend them off, and someone had to go with Marie-France. The outcome of the fight came as a great relief to them both, and they were headed back to meet up with the rest.

* * *

><p>While Henry was on the radio, Magnus was in the process of trussing up the two locals. She had confiscated their weapons, including the handguns, a long-bladed knife, and a machete. She was inspecting them for any hint of their identity. While they carried no identification, both were heavily tattooed, and had evidence of previous major and minor scuffles in the form of scars on their bodies. Magnus caught a break when she came across a similarity in their tattoos; while accompanied by differing images, a word popped out at her – <em>Escogido<em>, Chosen. "A gang tattoo of some sort?" she wondered. She had never heard of them… Clearly they were up against something they hadn't bargained for.

Magnus came out of her contemplation to the sounds of Will and Marie-France coming through the trees. Will had been kind enough to call ahead for them not to shoot. Both were relieved to be back with the group, given the anxieties of the last hour.

"You're both okay?" Magnus asked as she rose to greet them.

"We're fine," Will said, as Marie-France nodded in agreement.

"Good, we need to get moving." Magnus got right to the point. "The stunners will keep these guys out for another couple of hours, and I want to be long gone by then."

Kate took that moment to groan. "What happened?" Will looked very concerned. They shouldn't have left her…

Henry was looking a little sheepish as he replied, "I shot her…" Will gave him a very strange look. "No choice man! Otherwise _he_ was going to shoot her…" he gestured, "…better to stun them both!"

Magnus tried again to rouse Kate, who finally seemed to be coming around. "Can you sit up?" she asked.

"Whaaat?" Kate's words were slurred as she blinked up at Magnus.

"You were hit with a stunner," Magnus explained, "but it's very important that we get moving as soon as possible." She put her arm under Kate's back to help her sit up.

"Auuh, my head…" Kate rubbed her forehead.

"I know, it will pass, can you stand?"

"I think so." They stood slowly together, although Kate was looking decidedly queasy and unbalanced.

"There we are…" Magnus gestured for Will to take Kate's other side, and between the two of them they were able to head out.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Will asked, as the others fell into line behind them.

"The rental car is by the trail at the road," she replied.

"That wasn't what I meant… I'm assuming it will be too dangerous for us to return to the hotel. If those men found us in a place like this, they're certainly going to be able to locate us in a tourist area…"

"Quite right, William," Magnus replied as they picked their way one step at a time up the hill with Kate. "We're going to Haiti."


	7. Best Laid Plans

They made their way back to the road, making somewhat less than the best possible speed on the trail, given that Kate was still too weak to walk unaided after being stunned. Reaching the car, Magnus tossed the keys to Henry and they waited while he rolled down all the windows, attempting to cool off the little Twingo enough for them to enter. Marie-France kept nervously checking around them, looking pale under a sheen of sweat, as she cuddled the babies inside her vest protectively. Magnus too was keeping a careful watch for any unwanted visitors, the sooner they got away the better. Kate groaned as she leaned against Will and Magnus, all three of them exhausted from their efforts.

The breeze having cooled the car somewhat, Magnus decided they shouldn't wait any longer. "Let's get Kate in the car, Will." They walked Kate the last few steps to the backseat, and removed her arms from over their shoulders. "Watch her head," Magnus cautioned, as they settled her onto the seat.

Will stepped back out of the way so Magnus could lean in to check on Kate. "How are you feeling?" She asked, having a look at Kate's pupils.

"Peachy," Kate replied sarcastically, then sighed as Magnus frowned at her. "Hot, tired… my limbs are so heavy I can barely move them, and there's still that strange tingling in my feet and my face."

Magnus took Kate's wrist in her fingers, counting. "That's to be expected. It may be a few more hours before you recover completely. I suggest having a nap while we drive." She let go of Kate's wrist, "Alright?"

"Fine," Kate replied, closing her eyes. Magnus reached back to grab the shoulder belt, pulling it across Kate's chest and buckling it securely. She then straightened up to find everyone else watching her.

"Let's go, folks!" She moved aside to close the open back door. "Marie-France, why don't you sit up front with me. We'll put the boys in the back," She said, winking at her.

They all piled in. The breeze from the open windows soon cooled off the weary passengers. Magnus drove inland along the narrow, winding roads until the last vestiges of dusk. She noticed Marie-France moving restlessly in the passenger seat.

"They're hungry?" She asked Marie-France quietly.

Marie-France looked up, "Yes," she replied simply. Her face was neutral, tired as she leaned back on the head rest, a number of little feathered heads poking up out of the front of her vest.

Magnus had a plan. Based on intel from the Big Guy, there was a small team from the South American Sanctuary on the ground in Haiti. They had been stationed there since the earthquake had caused an upheaval in the local abnormal flora and fauna. Someone from the team would rendezvous with them later in the night after crossing the border, and assist them with a flight off the island. In the meantime, they were heading for a small town, one that she was certain would have a butcher, and was hopefully far enough away to be relatively safe from their unknown assailants. At least long enough for a quick stop. She wanted to avoid sticking her staff more than was absolutely necessary, with that many mouths to feed.

"Can they hold on for fifteen more minutes?" Magnus asked Marie-France.

She sighed, looking more tired than ever, "I think so."

"It will be all right," Magnus smiled over at her, "We'll have everyone fed in no time."

She continued driving along the winding road, pulling into a small town shortly after dark. After Magnus had a chat with a few locals outside a populated watering hole, they followed some directions to the home of a pig farmer who supplied the local restaurants. She left the others in the car, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention. After some negotiating, she was able to purchase a few liters of fresh pig's blood, and a rough old cooler with some ice to keep it chilled for a day. She also had a surprise for the team when she returned to the car.

Henry perked up as soon as she opened the car door. "Oh man, what smells so good?" He was practically salivating as he leaned towards the front of the car.

Magnus grinned as she passed back a plastic grocery bag, which Henry immediately opened to find grilled sausages.

"Awesome!" Henry dug in, pausing to pass a sausage to Will, and to offer one towards Marie-France in the front.

Marie-France looked at the proffered sausage with distaste, and shook her head, "I'll wait…" She looked at Magnus' cooler questioningly.

"I got it," Magnus answered her, "but let's not do it here." She passed the cooler over for Marie-France to place by her feet. "We'll find a place to pull over outside of town."

Marie-France made a pained face. "Hurry… please."

Magnus climbed into the car and pulled her door shut. "What's wrong?"

Marie-France was busy poking a squirming bundle in her vest, "I got bit. They're not going to wait much longer."

Magnus looked apologetic. Finding the butcher had taken longer than she had anticipated. "Make sure none of them are next to your skin." She started the engine. "We'll be there in five."

Magnus was quick to get back on the main road and search for an area to pull off. She soon found a flat, dry area slightly off the road, with a few trees to conceal them. She turned the engine off and flicked on the overhead light. They had two needle-less syringes ready, and filled them after pulling out one of the plastic-ware containers of blood. The infants were crying pitifully, and swarmed clumsily onto Marie-France's lap as they smelled dinner. They fought a little over who would eat first, but after each had had a few mouthfuls, they calmed down and waited more patiently for their turns.

Will and Henry weren't too keen on watching the feeding, happy to be sitting in the backseat licking their fingers after having consumed several sausages each. Will looked over at Kate, still asleep with her head back against the seat. "Should we wake her to eat?" Will asked Magnus.

Magnus looked up from her task in the front, "No, I think it's best to let her sleep it off. She can eat when she wakes up."

Returning her attention to the front, Magnus looked down at Marie-France's lap. It was full of the little green-blue feather balls, each now slowly lidding their eyes, tiny bellies distended after their meal. She couldn't help but smile. "Looks like they've had enough," she commented to Marie-France.

"Yeah," she replied blandly.

Magnus was surprised by the tone of her voice. In spite of everything, Marie-France had always shown considerable devotion and tenderness to the hatchlings. She lifted her gaze to look up at Marie-France, but was distracted by a blood stain on her shirt. She reached out towards the spot, asking, "Did you spill some?"

"Umm…" Marie-France shifted uncomfortably. "I think it's the bite."

Magnus raised her eyebrows in surprise. "May I?" She gestured to Marie-France's shirt.

Receiving permission, Magnus lifted the bottom edge of the shirt, revealing the new bite among the multitude of old ones. The bite was oozing a fair amount of blood. Far more than she would have expected given the shallowness of the teeth marks.

"Huh," Magnus said, as she fumbled with the supplies in her backpack, "It appears our feathered friends may employ an anticoagulant to aid in feeding." She pressed sterile gauze onto the oozing wound. "Did the bites always bleed like this?"

Marie-France nodded, and took over putting pressure on the wound.

"Okay, keep that on for a little while, I want to get us back on the road."

Magnus turned off the overhead light and pulled back onto the road. "Any _morcilla_ left, Will?"

"Any what?"

"_Morcilla_…" she paused when there was no response, "blood sausage."

There was a bit of a choking noise from Henry in the back, and Will replied incredulously, "_What_ sausage?"

"Really Will, have you never eaten blood sausage? It's a classic. And this one should be particularly good, very fresh apparently."

A hand appearing from the back, holding out the plastic bag of sausages. Marie-France took it with her free hand, and placed it on the center console. She fished out a sausage, handing it to Magnus, and then took another for herself.

Magnus glanced over as Marie-France placidly took a bite. "Not bothered by blood sausage?" she asked, curious.

Marie-France swallowed her mouthful before replying, "In the grand scheme of things… stranger things have happened…" she gestured vaguely to the _rahonavii_ in her lap.

Magnus had to chuckle. How quickly the abnormal could become blasé.

She drove onward in the dark for another hour, they would soon be drawing close to the Haitian border. Coming around the next corner, however, it appeared that there was something in the road, crossing its width. A fallen tree perhaps? She took her foot off the gas to slow the car. Magnus had a bad, bad feeling about this. As they approached, the object came into focus. It was a road block, and by moonlight, she could see a number of armed men standing around it. There was no way this was an legal road closure.

"Wake up, everyone," Magnus called out sharply. Most of the car's occupants were dozing the night away. There was movement as they took in her words. "Hold on tight, this is going to be a little rough."

Magnus slipped the gear into neutral, then threw on the emergency handbrake while turning the steering wheel to the left, effectively spinning the car 180 degrees. She pulled out of the spin and floored the gas to make a fast getaway back to where they had come from. If the others hadn't been awakened by her yell, they certainly would be awake now. "Everyone alright?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the road.

"I… I think so," Marie-France replied, counting the balls of fluff on her lap.

Will let out a bit of a groan from darkness in the back, "What was that?"

"Illegal road block," Magnus replied succinctly. "There were armed men. It may have nothing to do with us, or it may have everything to do with us." She glanced in the rearview mirror, two sets of headlights giving away almost certain pursuit.

The words had no sooner left her mouth than she was forced to slam on the brakes. They had come around a tight turn in the road to find several large vehicles blocking the road ahead. Her heart pounding, Magnus considered their options. There were four men in and around the trucks, all armed with assault rifles. As well, there were several similarly armed men on each side of the road next to the car. She knew they were lost when the vehicles in pursuit pulled up behind them, effectively blocking any escape.

Will's strained voice spoke up from the back, "Magnus…"

"Don't touch the stunner, Will." Magnus instructed firmly. She had a stunner with her in the front, and knew there was still one in the back. "Offer no resistance. There are too many of them, and those are not stunners they're carrying."

As the armed men approached the car, Magnus slowly moved her hand to the satellite phone she had placed between the front seats. Feeling her way, she pressed the emergency signal before quickly wedging the phone deeply in between her seat and the center console. Beside her, Marie-France was pale and breathing quickly. Having gathered the_ rahonavii _into her vest once more, she was barely controlling her fear. "Everybody stay calm," was all Magnus managed to say. Any reassurance would have been a hollow promise.

The gunmen approached the vehicle from all sides. A large, wiry man with dark skin and numerous tattoos called out aggressively, "Out of the car, all of you!"

As they moved to get out of the vehicle, he added, "Slowly! Hands where I can see them!"

"Do as he says, carefully," Magnus said to the others as she opened her door cautiously, making sure to keep her hands in sight. She was grabbed by the nearest man, and searched roughly by the second. She was surprised to hear the first man yell angrily, "Out of the car, now!"

She turned to look and saw Kate, still worryingly slumped over in the backseat, and was quick to speak up, "She was hit by a stunner earlier today. Please, would you let me check on her, she should be awake by now."

His response was disrupted by a screech from Marie-France. She was struggling with her captures, trying to keep them from touching the infants in her vest.

"Don't hurt her!" Magnus exclaimed, "Whatever you want, I can get it for you. Just let's talk about it, like civilized people." She directed her plea at the tattooed man who appeared to be in charge.

He looked as if considering for a moment, then indicated for his men to release their hold on Marie-France. "Let her be."

Magnus breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you. Now, may I check my comrade?" She gestured to Kate.

"You will find, Dr. Magnus," she stiffened at his use of her name, "that we are not unreasonable people. But no funny business," he raised his gun and pointed it at Marie-France, who flinched, "or I will shoot her. Understand?"

"Understood," Magnus replied. She made her way to open the back door of the car. Kate seemed fine, skin tone, pulse, respiration, pupil reaction were good… Movement from behind interrupted her reflections, and she stood up.

"Well?" the man asked.

Magnus straightened up, smoothing the wrinkles in her shirt. "Well, for starters, it seems unfair that you know my name, but I don't know yours."

He laughed, a hard abrasive sound that seemed far from jovial. "They said you were bold. But I like that in a woman. You may call me Frantz."

Magnus pulled herself up to her full height and authority. "Mr. Frantz then, would you mind telling me what all this is about?"

"I think you know, Dr. Magnus." His tone was smooth but full of conceit. "And it's just Frantz. You have something that I want." His eyes flicked over to Marie-France.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Magnus replied carefully, "what you could possibly want with us." They seemed the mercenary type, and there was only one thing they would respond to. "If it's money you desire, I think we can work something out so that all of us go home happy. That is, if we are released, unharmed." Her tone hardened further, "However, if you lay one finger on us, I swear you will pay."

Frantz was clearly not intimidated by her tone. He moved right up into her face, so close they were breathing on each other. "I will pretend I did not hear that. I think that if you knew who we were, you would not say such things. I caution you, to keep such sentiments to yourself in the future. We take threats _very_ seriously."

Magnus, however, was never one to back down. "So, how much would you say? A hundred thousand?"

He turned away from her abruptly and laughed again. "I think you still do not understand. I do not care about the money." Magnus' heart fell.

"You have something I need, and I will not be leaving without it." He spread his arms wide in a gesture of appeal, but grinned in a manner that chilled Magnus to the bone. This was a man who was not messing around. "If you cooperate, I will let you go. If you do not… I will kill you."

She did not doubt his sincerity. Her brain worked furiously, what could they do? They might have to give up the _rahonavii _and recover them later… it sounded like they would be valued and well-treated at least. There wasn't much else she had to offer otherwise, but she had to try. They were well and truly screwed.


	8. Unexpected Solutions

They were standing on the road in the dark, surrounded by armed men, with few options. Magnus cleared her throat, "Surely, Frantz, if you know my name you also know my connections. You must know that there is much we could offer you. What do you need? Information, vehicles, supplies? I assure you, a reasonable request will not be refused."

"Ah, Dr. Magnus, how you tempt me," he leered, "however I am afraid there will be no negotiations tonight. What I want is here, and I shall have it." He gestured to his men near Marie-France, who immediately started struggling against them again. "Take them."

Marie-France cried out in fear and anger. Henry and Will must have looked ready to jump to her rescue, because their guard leveled his weapon to their chests, stopping them fast. Magnus felt her mind grow cold at the heart-wrenching sight, being helpless to stop it.

They were all startled however, by a massive rustling in the dark bushes surrounding the roadside. From them emerged nearly a dozen men and women, armed with a miscellany of weapons ranging from a shotgun to several machetes. The gunmen didn't know where to look, wavering between pointing their weapons at their original captives, or at the unexpected intruders.

There was silence for a moment in which no one spoke. Then a middle-aged Haitian woman stepped forward, holding out her hands to show she was unarmed. "Greetings, Frantz. I am _Manbo Asogne_ Nadia."

There was a general surprised intake of breath from Frantz' men. Will and Henry looked puzzled, but Magnus understood. The woman was a vodou spiritual leader, a high priest. Her garb added to this image; she wore a traditional Haitian blouse and headscarf, and a gourd rattle hung from her belt. Her posture was fierce and defiant, as was that of her followers, _housinis_, who while less well-armed than their quarry, were clearly feeling righteous.

Nadia pointed her finger at Franz, "You are not to harm them."

Magnus at first thought she was talking about Marie-France, herself, and the others, but she quickly knew she was mistaken.

Nadia continued, "They are sacred, and not to be bartered, sold, or imprisoned. A curse," she cried, gesturing at all around her, "a curse on you and your families if you allow this to happen." She glared over at Marie-France, "Let her go."

The two men holding Marie-France released her arms, startled. Frantz was furious. "What are you doing?" He yelled at the men. "Do not listen to this woman!"

But the men appeared to be more scared of her than they were of him. While they looked uncomfortable, they did not move to take Marie-France again. Frantz looked ready to explode, but all around him, his men were lowering their weapons and avoiding his eyes.

"Thank you," Nadia said, smiling gently. "You have done the right thing. Let us have no more violence tonight. Leave now, and do not trouble us with this again."

The men began to move toward their vehicles, however Frantz was not ready to give his position away. He turned swiftly and raised his gun at Marie-France. "If I can't have them, neither can you!" he yelled.

A mere second later, however, there was a flash and he fell to the ground, unconscious. His men, perhaps believing Nadia had caused his sudden fall, scrambled to climb into their vehicles and take off. As they pulled away, the glare from the headlights faded and disappeared into the distance, leaving Magnus and the others in darkness. Their eyes adjusted, with the light of a half moon falling across the trees. A buzz of insects gradually began and filled in the quiet.

Magnus broke the silence. "Thank you, Nadia, for that very timely rescue." She moved forward to greet her.

"It was only my duty, Dr. Magnus," she replied. "Will he be all right?" she gestured towards where Frantz lay in the road.

"Certainly," Magnus smiled, her white teeth shining in the dark. "He's only stunned." She turned back to the car. "Kate, how are you doing?"

"Much better, thanks." Kate replied with a bit of a grin in her voice, as she climbed out of the car on somewhat unsteady legs.

"Great shot!" Henry commented from the darkness on the other side.

"Indeed," Magnus agreed, "Is everyone else okay? Will, Marie-France?"

Fortunately no one else was worse for wear, at least physically. Magnus left Will crouching beside Marie-France, who was sitting on the ground with her knees pulled close to her chest, leaning against the side of the car.

Nadia and Magnus walked a little ways away from the others to have a private conversation. The night was hot and humid, and the darkness seemed to envelop them as they stepped away from the others, two formidable women walking side by side.

Nadia opened the discussion by clearing her throat. "Dr. Magnus, I want to first tell you that I have the upmost respect for you and your work. I had never expected to meet you. In fact, I could hardly believe it when I heard you were involved." Her voice was gently disapproving. "I am attempting to prevent the export of _los pájaros d'esperanza_. They are birds of hope, they drink in the spirit of animals and people, purifying, blessing, warding away evil spirits and curing ills. They are sacred, and not to be removed."

"_Manbo_ Nadia," Magnus began respectfully, "I want to assure you that in no way had I intended offense. The girl who found the nest has been caring for the hatchlings. For her safety, and theirs, I felt it best to remove them from this locality."

"I can understand this," she replied, "_los escognido_," she said the name with disdain, "have a reputation for bullying."

"You know Frantz and his men?" Magnus asked.

"We have noticed each other in passing, but before now they have steered clear of my territory." Nadia sighed a little. "I am not sure why they would choose this moment to take an interest in _los pájaros d'esperanza_. But I do know that they are working for someone, someone who hides himself well, and shares his intentions with no one."

Magnus thought for a moment before replying, "I thought I had a number on most of the players in this region, but this one must be new. Or very very under the radar."

"Then we are in the same place on this."

Magnus nodded, preparing to present her case. "Nadia, I would like you to consider letting me take Marie-France and the _rahonavii _with me back to the Sanctuary."

Nadia made to speak up, but Magnus continued, "Until we know more about Frantz and the others, I think the priority should be making sure they're as safe as possible. We are extremely grateful for the rescue this evening, but if you can forgive me for saying, we may not be so lucky next time. I can provide security that you would never be able to implement here. I know you trust your followers, but it only takes one…"

Nadia was silent for a few moments, which reassured Magnus that at least she was not rejecting the suggestion outright. Finally she inhaled deeply, and then blew it all out slowly before speaking. "I don't like it. I don't like it at all. But I fear you may be right." She paused. "I want to meet this Marie-France first however. I assume they have chosen her?" she asked.

"They've imprinted, yes." Magnus replied.

"I must be sure she is suitable," Nadia proclaimed. "They will become more like her the longer they are together. And…" she pulled herself up to her full height and authority, "this is not a permanent arrangement. When they are grown, they must be returned here. This is where they belong."

"That's more than fair, thank you Nadia." Magnus replied, "I will guarantee their return."

The women shook hands, and started back towards the others. They arrived to find Nadia's followers keeping watch, although also, perhaps not so surreptitiously, trying to get a glimpse of the _rahonavii _as well. As Magnus and Nadia returned, Will was speaking quietly with Marie-France, who seemed much calmer. Will saw them approaching and stood up.

Magnus smiled at him, and then took his place to crouch beside Marie-France where she sat with her back to the side of the vehicle. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she replied softly, then gave a small smile, "_we're_ fine."

"Good," Magnus smiled back. "I want you to meet someone." She held out her hand towards Nadia, who moved forward and casually took up squatting on the other side of Marie-France. "This is Nadia, she is responsible for organizing our rescue."

"Then I'm glad to meet you, Nadia," Marie-France shook her hand, "and thank you."

"You're welcome." Nadia looked over Marie-France with a stern eye. "You killed the mother?" she asked, unexpectedly.

Marie-France stiffened, but nodded, "She attacked me, it was self-defense."

Nadia still looked cold. "Tourists should never have been allowed in that area, never," she said angrily. Then, however, she seemed to realize how Marie-France's face had sunk with anxiety, for she continued, "I didn't mean to blame you, my dear. You cared for the hatchlings? _Fed_ them?" she asked with particular emphasis.

Marie-France understood what she meant, and pulled up her sleeve as proof, showing the muddled recent scarring from their bites. Nadia took her arm and examined it closely, tracing the scars with her right index finger. She then travelled up her arm to take Marie-France's chin in her hands, and stared into her eyes for several long moments. Finally, she pulled her hand away and sat back on her heels, looking more relaxed. "May I see them?" she asked.

Marie-France looked at Magnus, who nodded it was okay. She unzipped her vest, exposing eleven feathered heads which blinked at the sudden exposure, and began looking around. One by one, their heads turned to look at Nadia, until all their eyes were fixed on hers. Marie-France had a bit of a shocked look on her face, and kept glancing between the babies and Nadia. Eventually Nadia broke their gaze, and they went back to sleepily lidding their eyes and snuggling into Marie-France.

A smile lit Nadia face. "You have done well," she told the girl, "I have made a deal with Dr. Magnus. She will keep the _pájaros d'esperanza_ safe at the Sanctuary until they are grown, and then they will be returned here. Do you accept these conditions?"

"I do." Marie-France agreed. This was their home, after all.

Something was percolating through Magnus' head. As she and Nadia stood up, she asked, "How did you know about the mother? We hadn't talked about it."

Nadia smiled. "I'm surprised you haven't put the pieces together, Dr. Magnus, you two seemed to be getting on so well."

"Of course," it clicked for Magnus, "it had to have been Roberto!"

"Indeed, he notified me as soon as he saw what you had recovered. He believed you had the best chance of locating Marie-France quickly, which is why he gave you the information about her once he realized she had the babies."

"But what about the other men?" Magnus asked, puzzled, "Where did they get their information? And why did Roberto leave the hotel if he wasn't involved?"

"I felt it was safest for him to take a vacation, just in case someone else came searching for information at the hotel, as you did." Nadia replied, "As for how _los escogidos_ found out, we may never know. It may be that Marie-France gave herself away at the hotel or travelling to the caves."

"I'm glad Roberto is safe," Magnus said with relief. Although in truth, she was also relieved to learn which side he was on. She was usually a good judge of character…

"Indeed. And what will you do now, Dr. Magnus? Will you continue on to Haiti?"

"I think… we will have to see."

* * *

><p>A phone rang in Magnus' office at the Sanctuary. The Big Guy nearly jumped across the room to grab it, and Molly wasn't far behind.<p>

"Magnus?" the Big Guy asked anxiously, answering it.

"It's me," Magnus replied.

"Thank goodness," the Big Guy gruffed, relieved. "What happened?"

"We had a bit of trouble with a group of locals called _los escognidos_," Magnus said calmly, "but with the help of some new friends, the problem has been solved."

"You're fine?" the Big Guy wasn't entirely sure if he should believe her.

"We are," she replied. "At the moment however, we're trying to decide the best way home."

"I can help with that," the Big Guy began. "When we received your emergency signal, we sent a message to Pierre in San Juan…"

"Indeed?" Magnus injected with a bit of surprise.

"He's on his way to you now. You could rendezvous with him if you'd like, or he could return if his presence is not required."

"You have impeccable good taste, my old friend." Magnus was pleased. "I think we will keep the appointment. We can liaise with him on the way, well done."

* * *

><p>Magnus spoke to Nadia privately one more time as they made their preparations to leave.<p>

"Marie-France wanted me to share something with you," she said to Nadia. "One of the hatchlings died a couple of days after hatching. She buried its body under a tree with twisted roots near the hotel. She place a small cairn of rocks over the spot amongst the roots. She thought you would want to know."

"Please thank her for me," Nadia replied, genuinely grateful. "We will ensure its remains are treated with respect."

"I don't doubt it." Magnus extended her hand, and Nadia took it. "Thank you again, for rescuing us. I hope this collaboration will be the first of many."

"As do I. Go in peace, Dr. Magnus."

* * *

><p>They were on the road again, in the dark, but no one was even thinking about sleeping. Nadia and her followers had vanished into the forest again as quietly as they had come, taking the unconscious Frantz with them. Magnus was being somewhat cryptic about their destination, but was driving back the way that they had come, albeit a bit more cautiously. She didn't believe they would be attacked again, with Frantz temporarily out of the picture, but they couldn't be too sure.<p>

They worked their way steadily southward and slightly to the west, until finally they arrived at a narrow road that travelled downward to the water. Magnus took the car slowly down the bumpy, dirt path, finally stopping and turning off the engine at the bottom near the water.

"What now?" Will asked, after having looked around and seen nothing that would suggest Magnus' plan.

"Now, we wait," she said with a smile.

They spent several hours on the beach in the dark, waiting, hearing only the waves lapping on the shore, listening for anything more insidious in the surrounding forest. They sat in the car, awake, with the windows open for a breeze. They went through one more feeding of the little ones, but none of the others were feeling particularly hungry.

They tensed at an unnatural sound above them on the trail. Magnus and Kate were out of the car in a heartbeat, getting eyes on the disturbance. It was a car, moving slowly towards them, headlights shining onto the dirt road.

"Everyone out of the car, now," Magnus ordered, and they complied quickly and without question. "Into the woods." She gestured for the others to move towards the trees. "Kate, you go with them and take the west side, I will position myself on the east." Kate nodded sharply, and Magnus turned away to jog to the tree line on the far side of the beach.

She reached the trees a minute ahead of the car. Its headlights made it impossible to see in the windows. And when it finally completed its descent and parked behind the Twingo, the driver stepped out of the vehicle. It was only when he moved towards the other car, finally illuminated by his own headlights, that she recognized him.

Magnus stepped out from behind the tree, calling, "Roberto!"

He turned and squinted against the light, unable to see her. "Magnus?" he called out, questioningly.

"It's me!" she called again, more softly as she drew close. His face lit up and he opened his arms to her, folding her into his embrace. "I'm so glad you're safe! I didn't know the others would be trying to find you, I'm sorry."

She leaned back to look him in the eyes. "I know, Nadia and I spoke. It's okay, you have nothing to forgive."

Their happy reunion was interrupted by Kate's voice from nearby. "Put your hands where I can see them!" Both turned to see her training the stunner on Roberto.

"It's alright, Kate, he's on our side."

Kate didn't look entirely convinced, but she lowered her weapon and signaled to the others that it was okay to return.

"Could you turn your headlights off?" Magnus asked Roberto, who complied. "It will interfere with our rendezvous." She paused, listening, "In fact, I think I hear it now."

The others listened as well, and heard the sound of a motor boat coming slowly closer. Magnus pulled a flashlight from her belt and stepped forward towards the water. She flashed a signal out towards the water, and was gratified to receive a proper signal in response. She smiled involuntarily.

"Your ride?" Roberto asked from close behind her, almost in her ear. She reached up with her hand to caress his cheek.

"Yes."

He pulled her towards him. "Will I see you again?"

"Nothing is certain," she teased gently, "but I can almost guarantee it."

They gazed into each others' eyes with a mix of mutual affection and longing. Magnus looked away first, always conscious of her obligations to the team.

"Please gather all our supplies from the car," Magnus directed the others, "anything you want to take." She signaled the boat again, directing it towards their position. It was an inflatable, fitted with a small outboard motor. The man aboard cut the engine as he drew close to the shore, the momentum carrying the boat forward to scrape on the sand. She and Will grabbed hold of the front of the boat and pulled it securely onto land.

"Howdy there, everybody!" A tall, tanned man called out to them as he stepped onto the sand. He thrust out a large hand to shake Will's, "I'm Pierre."

"Will Zimmerman," Will smiled as he shook the proffered hand.

"Ah, the protégé!" Pierre seemed pleased as he introduced himself to the rest of the team, shaking hands all around and generally exuding enthusiasm. When he at least reached Marie-France, he toned himself down a little as she shrank away. "And you must be the little lady at the root of this mess," he said with a smile, "I am very pleased to meet you." He took her hand and raised it to his mouth for a chaste kiss. Marie-France didn't know quite what to say. "It's alright, I don't bite," he winked at her.

Finally, his inescapable charm won her over and she laughed a little at his cheek.

"That's better," he said smiling. Turning to Magnus, he asked, "So, are you ready to get this show on the road?"

"Let's do it."

"All-righty then," he replied, stepping back towards the boat. "Life vests all around," he said, reaching into the bow to pull out a number of life vests, which he passed around. He grabbed one vest and another item, before walking back over to Marie-France. "You're going to need this," he handed her a padded, waterproof bag, with a drawstring close.

Marie-France inspected it, and looked questioningly at Pierre.

"It's for the _rahonavii_, it's waterproof and floats. We're not planning to drop them in the water, but better safe than sorry, eh?" He grinned.

"Thanks," Marie-France replied. She then gingerly unzipped her vest, a bit self-conscious of the attention she was receiving from both Pierre and Roberto, who were clearly interested in seeing the infants. Indeed, as she started to displace them into the bag, both men wore barely concealed expressions of amazement.

"_Lo que bellezas_…" Roberto exhaled.

"You said it, brother," Pierre agreed, "So cute!"

Marie-France couldn't help the giggle that escaped her as this giant man described them as 'cute.'

Magnus approached as well, with her life vest already secured around her. "You always were a teddy bear," she said, giving Pierre a quick hug. "Thanks again for coming to our rescue."

"My pleasure, dear Dr. Magnus," he replied, flamboyantly, "Nothing I like better than to appear a knight in shining armour…" he paused, "particularly in front of pleasant company…" he was eyeing Roberto.

Magnus leaned forward as Roberto actually blushed, "He's taken…"

"A pity!" Pierre exclaimed. "Oh, well."

"Ready?" Magnus turned her attention to Marie-France, who had just finished placing the last infant into the bag.

"Yes," she replied emphatically, pulling on her lifevest.

"Great, all abroad!"

Pierre stood by the boat, offering a hand in turn to Henry, Kate, Will, Marie-France, and finally Magnus as they climbed aboard.

"Bon Voyage!" Pierre called as he gave the inflatable a hearty shove back into the water. Henry started the engine and turned the rudder to send the inflatable away from shore.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Henry asked Magnus.

"It should be right over…" Magnus was scanning the sea, "… there!" She held out her arm to indicate their destination.

There was a moment with only the sound of the motor running, then Will took Magnus' arm. "Magnus," he started, "please tell me that isn't…" He trailed off.

"That's right, Will." Magnus looked a little too happy for Will's taste. "Our ride home is the _Nautilus_."


End file.
